Way Back When
by EarthBound Cat
Summary: Everything has to start somewhere. Before the Smash Mansion was built, it was the Smash House, home to twelve of the most...interesting people you've ever seen. Join Ness as he tries to make sense of the house, from the mysterious Samus (why won't he take his helmet off?) to dealing with a major jerk, overcoming taunts about being youngest and just trying to not go insane.
1. Chapter 1

The location this tournament was taking place in was much smaller than Ness originally expected. When he received the invitation a month prior, he had to admit, he was expecting something much grander. Instead, he currently faced an average house, two stories high. It was a pale blue colour, with shingles on the roof that perhaps once may have been black, but were now a soft gray. The path leading up to the front door was made of stepping stones. Briefly, the psychic wondered if that strange car had dropped him off at the wrong place.

No, it had to be right. There was a plaque on the door that had the same symbol his invitation was sealed with - a circle with two slashes, one horizontal, one vertical. Well, Ness didn't mind this being the place. Somehow, it made it seem more inviting for it to look much like his own home.

Ness walked up the stone path, and rang the doorbell. A few moments later, the door swung open with a creak.

"Hey, kid. I think you have the wrong house. This is the Smash House, headquarters of the Super Smash Bros. tournament - not whatever you're looking for." A muscular man had answered the door, wearing a helmet with a falcon crest on the front. Ness's face flushed with anger.

"That's what I'm here for." He said, clenching his invitation in his fist.

The man looked as though he couldn't believe it - something between disbelief and outrage. "They invited a kid to the biggest fighting tournament in the galaxy?! There's no way!"

"What's-a going on-a here?" From behind the muscular man came a voice. A short, plump man wearing red glanced at Ness, who returned his gaze coolly.

"This kid claims he's in the tournament!" The first man growled.

The short man stroked his mustache. "Well, it-a appears he has an invitation, and we're-a only waiting on one person. Are you-a Ness?"

"That's me." Ness replied. "I may be a kid, but I'm in this!"

"Let him-a in, Falcon." The short man said briskly, turning around and walking down a hallway. "Don't-a keep us waiting!" He called back as he walked. The muscular man, apparently named Falcon, muttered something inaudible, but left the doorway. Ness stepped inside, suitcase in one hand, letter in the other.

"Leave your suitcase next to the stairs." Falcon grumbled. "Then come to the living room - down the hallway, the door to the left." With that, he exited down the hallway.

Ness placed his suitcase down at the end of the stairs, then headed down the hallway. At the end was the door, which was ajar. Opening it fully, he crossed into the living room.

A brown couch was against the wall, with three people sitting on it - a young man dressed in green who looked quite elfin, a person in some sort of futuristic body armor, and Falcon. Two recliners sat in opposite corners of the room. The short man from earlier sat in one, and a taller man in the other. They wore similar outfits, however. Perhaps they were related. On the armrest of the taller man's chair sat what appeared to be a bright yellow rodent. On the floor, two pink puffballs sat together, as well as a dragon-like beast. Leaning against the couch was a fox standing on its hind legs, fully clothed. Finally, a gorilla wearing a tie sat near the puffballs.

And Falcon thought a kid being invited was strange?!

But the most bizarre thing of all? In the center of the room there was a giant, floating hand. Ness realized he was staring after a moment, and took a seat on the floor near the couch, crossing his legs.

A disembodied voice spoke, seemingly coming from the glove. _"It seems we have everyone now._ _I would like to formally welcome you to the first ever Super Smash Brothers tournament._ _I_ _have selected the finest of warriors from all worlds to complete. You are all here for_ _a reason._

 _"My name is Master Hand._ _I am the organizer and head of this tournament."_

"Actually, I'd say you're the hand of this tournament." Ness couldn't help but mumble. There were muffled snorts around the room at his comment.

The floating hand seemed to ignore Ness's remark, carrying on. " _I_ _would like you to stand up, one at a time, and say your name and_ _a fact about you or your journey. We will start with you."_ The hand pointed at the short man in the recliner.

"I'm-a Mario, and I-a rescue the princess of the Mushroom Kingdo m from-a the evil Bowser!" The man exclaimed enthusiastically. He had a pleasing accent that somehow made what he said more interesting, in Ness's opinion. The taller man looked up.

"I'm-a Luigi, Mario's brother." He spoke quieter than his sibling, but still bore a smile.

"Pikachu! Pika pika!" The rodent cried. Ness tried to translate, as he could with animals, but its thoughts were too jumbled, too fast. It would take practice before he could understand it. The same was the case for the other animals, and the puffballs. The only exception, he found, was the fox, who spoke perfect English, and was named, well, Fox. He was apparently a space pilot.

When it was Ness's turn, he stood. "My name is Ness. I'm thirteen, and I saved my world from aliens." He could feel some of the emotions in the room - curiosity...doubting...ridicule. Just because he was thirteen, and only 5"1.

He'd prove them wrong. He'd show them he was a force to be reckoned with.

Ness barely heard the other three's introductions. All he really caught were their names - the elfin boy was Link, the robot - looking one was Samus, and Falcon's full name was Jay Douglass Falcon, but preferred his surname only. After everyone was introduced, the hand spoke again.

 _"There are a number of rules in the Smash House to ensure everything runs smoothly. There will be no fighting outside of scheduled fights. You will show up for meals_ ontime, _everytime. Stealing or blackmailing is absolutely forbidden. You cannot miss your fights without a valid reason. And finally, you will preform your assigned housework with your partner."_

A small bit of grumbling broke _out_ at the mention of housework. Master Hand snapped his fingers to regain attention.

 _"Yes, yes, I'm sure you're all thrilled. We all have to do our part to keep this house running. I will read out the names of the partners, and your respective chores."_ Another snap of his fingers, a list appeared. _"Mario and Luigi have cooking dinner. The other two meals, you all will alternate. Link and Fox, you have vacuuming and dusting. Kirby and Jigglypuff will clean the bathroom. Donkey Kong and Captain Falcon have yard work. Samus and Ness, you will do the laundry. Finally, Pikachu and Yoshi will gather dirty laundry and put it in the hamper. As for doing dishes, like cooking breakfast and lunch, we will alternate between all you._

 _"Now, finally, there are three rooms upstairs, and three downstairs. You will each have a roommate. In room one downstairs, Mario and Luigi. Room two, Fox and Captain Falcon. Room three, Donkey Kong and Yoshi. Upstairs is as follows: room four is Kirby and Link, room five is Ness and Pikachu, and room six is Samus and Jigglypuff. The bathroom for each set of rooms is at the end of the hall, along with the hamper. The opposite doorway across from the living room is the kitchen and dining room. A door next to the stairs leads to the basement, where the laundry is done. With all that out of the way, I congratulate you on making it into this tournament. Fighting will begin tomorrow, and each day's schedule will be written on a whiteboard in the kitchen. Finally, breakfast is at eight thirty, lunch twelve thirty, and dinner at six."_ The hand finally ended his long speech, much to Ness's relief, as he was getting restless.

Master Hand dismissed them with a wave, and a buzz of talking broke out. Some of it was complaining about the chores, others in frantic excitement over the tournament. Ness wondered briefly where they were going to fight. That would probably be explained later. Standing, he exited the room, picking up his suitcase and heading up the stairs.

He located room five, and pushed open the door. The room was very small, with two beds on either side. One dresser sat in the middle - Ness supposed he didn't have to share that, since his roommate was a rodent. A clock sat on it, displaying the time in red numbers. He took the bed on the right, and sat on it, looking around. The walls were a cream colour, and the carpet was powder blue. His bedspread was a blue and green plaid. Opening his suitcase, he began to unpack.

Falcon had called this the biggest fighting tournament in the galaxy, and yet it didn't seem very elaborate to Ness. There were only twelve of them, sharing a two story house, for Pete's sake. But, perhaps, like most things starting out, it had a limited budget. Yes...that must be the case, Ness decided, as he stuffed a shirt into a drawer.

Finishing unpacking after a bit, Ness pushed his suitcase, now empty, under his bed. Giving a glance at the clock, he saw it was 5:45. He decided to go downstairs, since dinner was relatively soon. He briefly wondered if Mario and his brother had cooked tonight, or if they didn't have to, seeing as it was the first day.

Walking down the stairs, Ness entered into the dining room, where a few others had already gathered. A glance in the kitchen told him that even though it was the first day, Mario and Luigi were indeed cooking. The shorter man noticed him looking in. "Ness, was it? Can you-a set the table?"

"Sure." Ness said with a shrug. "Where are the dishes kept?"

"The left cabinet is-a plates, the right glasses, and that-a drawer holds utensils." Luigi told him as he stirred with one hand, gesturing to the drawer with the other. Ness pulled open the drawer and got out enough utensils for them all. Reaching up, he balanced on his toes to reach the plates. Exiting the room, he set each set of utensils and plates around the table, doing the same with the glasses after going back to retrieve them, taking several trips. " _I better not be setting the table every night..."_ The raven-haired psychic thought a bit grumpily.

The others entered the dining room as the clock drew near six. Taking a seat, Ness watched as Mario and Luigi brought out the food. As everyone seated themselves, one chair remained empty.

"Who are we missing?" Fox asked, glancing around.

" _Kirby will not be joining the rest of you for meals. He is a bit of a...special case...when it comes to eating, and would likely leave no food for the rest of you."_ Ness jumped a bit in his seat. Somehow, Master Hand had entered the room without him noticing, which was quite the feat in Ness's opinion, considering he was gigantic, as well as the fact Ness could usually sense people nearby.

"Well, then...let's eat." Falcon declared. "What did you make, anyway?"

"Mushroom casserole." Mario replied, serving himself some. Ness, recalling them cooking in a pot, wondered how they made casserole in it. He decided not to think about it.

No one spoke much as they are, awkwardness thick in the air. What did a group this varied even talk about? Ness simply watched as everyone ate, occasionally eating a bit himself. He noted that the person in the robotic suit (Samuel? Samson? For some reason, he was blanking on their name) wasn't eating - they hadn't even taken off their helmet. The animals didn't use utensils, aside from Fox, which made sense, Ness supposed. Every once in a while, Falcon would look Ness's way and smirk. Clearly, he still thought a kid shouldn't be here.

Ness got an idea, and nearly smirked, barely keeping his grin in check. As Falcon reached for his water glass, the psychic, using his telekinesis, dragged it barely out of reach. The look on the racer's face was priceless. Again, he reached, and again, Ness moved it farther away. The others watched as Falcon's hands chased the glass, missing each time. Finally, the muscular man slammed his fist on the table. "Whoever is doing that, STOP NOW!" He bellowed.

" _If you insist. Have your water."_ Ness thought, and as Falcon picked up his glass, Ness spilled it all over him. The man roared in outrage as various snickers and laughter broke out around the table. As the racer stood covered in water, Ness met his eyes and grinned tauntingly.

 _"That'll teach you to underestimate me because of my **age.**_ " Ness thought gleefully as people began clearing away the table.

Maybe he would get them to take him seriously after all.

* * *

 **Hey guys! Welcome to my new fanfic, Way Back When! This will be a story from Ness's point of view, being a slice-of-life story taking place in the 64 days. As usual, updates will be completely random depending on my motivation.**

 **Yes, I made Falcon a complete jerk. I don't really like him very much.**

 **I have so much trouble writing Link and Fox, and Samus to an extent. This is going to be a bit of a challenge for me, but I'm ready.**

 **Tell me your thoughts! Review!**

 **-EBC**


	2. Chapter 2

Ness stared, blinking slowly at the mass of laundry sitting in the hamper.

"We've only been here a week! How on _earth_ did everyone wear this much clothing in a _week?!"_ He muttered, shaking his head. "Half the people here don't even wear clothes!" Piling up the laundry into a basket, he stumbled towards the basement, grumbling under his breath. Reaching the door, he twisted the knob with telekinesis, seeing as his hands were full. He began the stumbling journey down the stairs.

Finally reaching the concrete floor below, Ness dropped his basket full of laundry on the floor. He began sorting it into piles of lights and darks, wondering briefly where his partner in this dull task was. He received an answer a moment later as he heard the door shut, and someone walked down the stairs. Glancing up, Ness saw Samus, wearing full armor as per usual. He carried two bags. "I've already sorted these." Samus muttered in a slightly gruff tone.

"Great." Ness replied. "I'm still sorting these." He tossed a pair of blue boxers in the darks pile. Samus knelt and started to sort as well.

"How did we even go through this much laundry in a week?" Samus said, shaking his head in an annoyed way.

"My thoughts exactly." Ness answered, tossing a pair of his own socks in the lights. "Some people definitely got easier chores than others. I mean, we have to do all this laundry. Mario and Luigi have to cook dinner everyday. And then you've got people who have easy jobs! Like vacuuming, for example. You only have to do that twice a week."

"I suppose someone must do it." Samus muttered. The laundry now sorted, the two stood up.

"Looks like the darks pile is bigger. I guess we run that first." Ness mused, scooping up some of the clothes. Samus followed with the rest, as well as the bag, which he hadn't emptied. Ness found it somewhat peculiar. Why hadn't he emptied the bag?

"You gonna take those clothes out of the bag?" The raven haired psychic asked, raising an eyebrow as he stood on his toes to put the clothes he held into the washer.

"They're delicate. They have to stay in the bag or they'll get ruined." Samus snapped. Ness held up his hands in a calming manner.

"I was just asking, dude. No need to bite my head off." He said with a shrug. Samus sighed as he dumped his clothes and the bag in the washer.

"Sorry. I'm a bit on edge." He mumbled.

"It's fine, man. I think laundry makes everyone irritated." Ness replied. The psychic reached up to turn on the machine, but ran into an obstacle rather quickly - he was unable to reach the dial. He tried again, half climbing onto the machine. Still, he couldn't reach. Finally, flushing red in embarrassment, he turned to Samus. "Umm...could you..."

Samus said nothing and simply twisted the dial to 'ON'. Ness felt a rush of gratitude that he hadn't said anything regarding his lack of height. The washing machine started with a mechanical groan, filling with water as the two leaned back and waited. Finally Samus spoke. "I guess we don't need to stay here. Let's come back in an hour, and tend to this then."

* * *

After putting in a second load of laundry and drying the first, Samus and Ness were folding the darks while the lights rolled around in the dryer behind them. Ness had tried to talk to him for a bit, but Samus wasn't very chatty. However, he did listen to what Ness said, and the psychic appreciated that quite a bit. He listened as Ness talked a little bit about himself, occasionally making a quiet comment. Other than that, the two sat in silence as they worked, though it didn't necessarily seem awkward.

And the next day, when Ness went to the basement to grab something he left downstairs the day prior, he smiled upon seeing a wooden footstool sitting near the washing machine.

Ness had to say, he kinda liked this Samus guy. He seemed like a pretty cool dude.

* * *

 **Hey guys! I'm back with another chapter of Way Back When. I know this chapter is kinda short, but this entire story is just gonna be random one-shots that link together partially. I just wanted to kind of introduce this scenario of doing laundry, which will pop up throughout the story. I really like the idea of Samus-Ness friendship.**

 **And yes, those are 'girl clothes' in the bag Samus has.**

 **Leave a review if you wish, I'll appreciate it!**

 **-EBC**


	3. Chapter 3

Ness yawned as he stumbled into his room late one night. The young psychic had stayed up, admittedly too late, watching a movie with Mario and Fox, and wasn't really paying attention to where he walked as he felt around in the darkness for his dresser. Add onto that the fact he had an intense match earlier in the day, and it was no wonder the kid was tired.

A screech from his roommate caused him to spring back. It appeared he had stepped on Pikachu's tail, judging from how the rodent was shrieking and now lunging at him. Ness staggered back as Pikachu sprang, biting him and electrifying him with zaps from its cheeks. "Oww, wow! Sorry, sorry- OWW!"

Pikachu gave no mind to Ness's apology, opting to instead keep shocking him instead. Ness had started to be able to understand its rapid thoughts - right now Pikachu was sending quite a bit of hostile ones his way. He definitely caught "JERK!"

Not particularly wanting to get in a fight at 2:00 A.M., Ness instinctively threw himself out of the room, out of harm's way. Pikachu headbutted the door shut with a glowering look on his face. "CHU!"

"Oh, c'mon!" Ness groaned. "I said I'm sorry." He reached for the doorknob, and twisted it. The door didn't open. He scowled, and kicked the door. "Oh, real mature of you. You're locking me out?" Ness's only reply was an angry "Pi!" and an electric shock from under the door. Someone from one of the neighboring rooms snarled, "Keep it down!"

"You were the one sleeping in the middle of the floor!" He whisper-yelled, not wanting to bother the others further. "If ya didn't wanna be stepped on, then why weren't you in bed?!" There was no answer aside from the silence of the house. Ness huffed, crossing his arms as he slumped on the ground. "...How'd you even lock me out, anyway? You can't even reach the doorknob..."

It was going to be a long night, Ness thought, as he picked himself up. He crossed the quiet house to the living room, where he curled up on the couch with a sigh. He took his hat off and tucked it underneath him, shutting his eyes. He shifted uncomfortably, waiting for sleep to claim him.

Stupid rodent. At least he'd be over it by tomorrow.

* * *

Or so Ness had thought.

Pikachu, it turned out, held grudges very well. Ness had now been sleeping on the couch for three days. The little mouse stayed in their room all the time, only coming out for meals where he triumphantly stared at the psychic, clearly smug over keeping the room to himself. On top of that, Pikachu had no matches this week, providing no reason for the electric-type to leave the door unattended. Indeed, in the great siege between rodent and psychic, Pikachu was winning.

Ness was honestly running out of ideas to get back into his room. Teleportation was blocked unless he was heading into a match. He couldn't destroy the door - Master Hand would be furious. Pikachu wouldn't listen to reason or his apologies. He couldn't pick the lock either, since Pikachu would just electrocute him.

The psychic really, really didn't want to ask for help. He could already envision the taunting of his fellow Smashers if they found out he couldn't get into his room because of a rodent with an attitude problem.

The thing was, hiding it was getting difficult. Ness hadn't changed his clothes in three days due to not being able to reach his dresser. He had been in two matches, and he honestly stank. Showering only went so far.

Right. It was time to try a new strategy, Ness decided. He looked out the window absentmindedly as he sat in the living room. "Wait a minute..." The psychic muttered, sitting up suddenly. "The window!" Of course, his room had a window! He sprang up and sprinted for the door, nearly barreling over Fox as he raced out into the lawn. He shivered -it was kind of chilly out on the front lawn, with a coat of frost glimmering on the grass- and scanned the second floor, counting windows. There was his! Now to get up there. Easier said than done.

Ness attempted to levitate. It wasn't too far, he could probably manage, he decided as his shoes left the ground. He wobbled, straining his mind. "I need to do this more - can't do it very well lately..." He mumbled, carefully rising. He reached the window and carefully opened it...

Just to be met with an angry Pikachu, who screeched loudly, electricity crackling from his cheeks. Ness barely had time to register and mutter a quick, "Oh, crud!" before a lightning bolt struck him down, leaving him sprawled in the icy grass, stars in his eyes as his hair and clothes smoldered slightly.

Ok. Forget the window. Time to come up with a Plan B.

* * *

That night at dinner, Ness was ready. Many gave the psychic, charred, smelly and disgruntled, strange looks as he absolutely wolfed down his food in such a ravenous matter it would put Kirby to shame. The whole time he kept his violet eyes trained on Pikachu, who held his glare evenly. The tension in the air was absolutely palpable, as noticed by the others. Mario attempted to break the strain with small talk, but was unsuccessful.

Suddenly, Ness shot out of his seat as though he was on fire. He made a beeline for the stairs. The raven haired psychic was getting to his room no matter what! Pikachu shot after him, bounding across the table. Food sprayed all over the others as bowls went flying. Drinks spilled on the tablecloth and in people's laps. Mashed potatoes hit Falcon square in the face, dripping down onto his suit as he roared in outrage. Link's water glass went flying, smashing inches from Yoshi's head against the wall. Yelling and cursing broke out as broken glass and food went everywhere, turning the tense but harmless situation of before into a war zone. Pikachu zipped through all of this, taking a flying leap after Ness.

The two raced up the stairs, neck and neck, both equally determined to get in the door and keep the other out. The door loomed close in all its wooden glory. At the last second, Pikachu used Quick Attack, diving through the doorway. The door slammed shut as Ness instinctively threw his hand in the way to stop it, smashing his fingers. He gave a furious screech of pain, his calm absolutely shattering.

"You freaking vermin! You're despicable, you freaking brat! I hate you! It's very mature of you to do this - NOT! IT'S BEEN THREE DAYS, AREN'T YOU FREAKING SATISFIED?! I SAID I WAS SORRY, YOU STUPID RODENT!" He screamed at the closed door. Breathing heavily, he swung his fist at the door, springing back as it collided and made the throbbing pain worse.

He collapsed in a heap, angry and in pain. Distantly he could hear someone ascending up on the stairs. He looked up to see Samus standing over him.

"Pikachu's kept you locked out for three days?" He asked, tone of voice giving away no emotions.

"Yeah." He grudgingly muttered, staring at the wall.

"Well, that explains a lot." Samus sighed. "Why didn't you ask for help?"

He was quiet a moment. "Didn't wanna look weak, getting locked out by a mouse." He finally admitted. "Already get teased enough about my age and height, this would just make it worse."

"Ness. Look at me. Now." Samus ordered, his voice sounding stern. Ness looked up at Samus's helmet, which had mashed potatoes dripping off the side. "You should never be ashamed to ask for help. If you don't want to ask anyone else, ask me. I won't bother you about it. Or you could ask Master Hand. We won't judge you. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness."

Ness blinked, then looked away.

"I mean it, Ness. You're only 13, you're going to need assistance from time to time. Even adults need help."

Ness sighed, but felt a bit better. "Thanks, Samus."

"It's nothing. Now, I'm afraid Pikachu has a bit of a mess to handle downstairs. Master Hand is not pleased his dishes have been shattered, and once he finds out Pikachu locked you out, that little mouse is gonna be in a world of trouble." Samus offered the psychic a hand up, which Ness accepted.

After that, Pikachu was suspended from matches for two weeks and forced to allow Ness in the room again. Although their relationship was frosty for a bit after, Ness felt closer to Samus and less afraid of looking stupid.

Because he was going to get used to that pretty quickly, since the Smash House seemed to be founded on insanity.

* * *

 **Hey guys! Thank you so much for reviewing! I absolutely love hearing from you.**

 **-EBC**


	4. Chapter 4

_You never notice just how much you like the heater until it's busted,_ Ness reflected as he pulled the blanket closer to himself, shivering. The young psychic curled up, in an effort to conserve warmth. It was unseasonably cold this month, dipping into the single digits at night. It was only November! _But maybe it gets colder earlier in this world,_ he mused. Even so, it was a very bad time for the heater to give out. They were lucky it hadn't snowed, at least.

Currently he was in the living room with several others, all huddling on the couch. Link took the far end, completely covering himself with the blanket he was sharing with Yoshi. Ness himself sat in the middle. Huddled on the end was Jigglypuff. Normally, four of them never sat on the couch at once, but it was warmer this way. The recliners sat vacant.

Fox walked into the room a moment later. "Bad news. The repair guy can't come until tomorrow." He muttered. "And it's getting even colder now." Loud groans came from the couch.

"Even colder? You gotta be kidding me!" Ness grunted. Honestly, how was it that no one here knew how to repair it?

"Puff. Jig-puff." The pink Pokemon squeaked, which Ness roughly translated to mean "We need more blankets."

"Then someone go get some." He muttered in reply, earning him a look of annoyance from the puff, who wasn't keen on leaving the couch.

"Move over." Fox ordered, getting on the end of the couch. With a number of mutters of irritation, the four grudgingly shifted to make room for the canine.

"You coulda at least brought another blanket." Ness groaned. "Five people on this couch and it's still freezing. And awkward."

"Too close for comfort." Fox agreed, but made no motion to leave, propping his feet up on the couch as well.

"Seriously. There's two open recliners. Move." Ness said, rolling his eyes.

"No. Now share the blankets." With that, Fox pulled part of the blanket away from Jigglypuff, who squealed in annoyance.

Pikachu wandered in, fur fluffed up. Warily eying the group, and circling for a moment, he finally jumped up on the armrest, curling up under Link's arm. The Hylian allowed the electric type to stay there, likely warmed by his fur.

"We have half the people in this house on the couch now." Ness noted. "It's kinda cramped."

"Why are you complaining? It's warm!" Fox replied. Link grunted his agreement.

"That is true." Ness sighed, burrowing into the fleece of the blanket. Although cramped, the heat was nice. This huddling on the couch actually reminded Ness of his family. Tracy and him would sit with their mom, watching movies with King at his feet. He shut his eyes and smiled a bit under the blanket. Mario was always referring to them as a family. Moments like these...they reinforced that. No matter how crammed together they were, it was kind of nice to be together and not arguing or fighting. Even in a fighting tournament, one sometimes just wants peace.

Ness was half asleep in the heavy silence when the tranquility was broken by someone flopping directly onto him.

"Ge'off!" He yelped, flailing under the body. A mass of confused, flailing limbs came from all sides as people struggled to make room for the newcomer. Ness managed to get out from underneath, practically in Fox's lap. "Falcon!"

The racer smirked. "Didn't see you there."

"Get out. There's no room." The psychic grumbled. Seven people crammed onto one couch was ridiculous. Especially since this couch wasn't exactly new, either. The poor furniture was groaning under the weight of this many people.

"Nah." Falcon replied. "I'm not really feeling up to it right now."

A muffled "Puuuuffff..." came from between the couch cushions, where Jigglypuff was wedged. Ness did his best to pull the disgruntled Pokemon out. After a bit of shifting, everyone was on the couch, albeit rather uncomfortably. Link was now sitting on the armrest, Pikachu in his lap. Yoshi took up most the room next to him, Falcon wedged in between him and Jigglypuff. Ness sat close to Fox, who was almost on the armrest. The couch sagged from their combined weight.

"Seriously, someone needs to leave." He said more adamantly this time.

"You could leave." Fox suggested, grinning. Ness scowled, crossing his arms.

"No! I was here second, just after Link. You or Falcon should leave. You came last."

"What? Pikachu was here after me!" Now it was Fox's turn to scowl.

"He weighs way less, Einstein. We don't have a problem with him. Plus, he's keeping Link warm." Ness pointed out. Link nodded in agreement.

"It's fine, Ness! Seven people isn't much greater than six. As long as we don't get an eighth person, I'm sure the couch will be fine -" Falcon was cut off as someone entered the room, clinging to a blanket.

"Hey-a guys, can I-a join you?" Luigi, seemingly oblivious to their discussion, sat down as everyone collectively screamed, **"Luigi, NO!"**

That was it - the straw that broke the camel's back, or rather, the Smasher that broke the couch. With a loud groan and sharp crack of wood, it shattered. Flailing limbs and broken wood was everywhere, bits of material clinging to it, and stuffing all over the place.

Everyone was silent for a moment, aside from Luigi's soft "Oh, no..." Jigglypuff squeaked after a minute.

"Puff, jig-jiggly!"

Ness groaned. "It doesn't matter he was considerate and brought another blanket, Jigglypuff, the couch is ruined!"

* * *

"You-a did WHAT?!"

Mario's normally calm voice went at least an octave higher as he found out what had happened. "Oh, no...we-a can't let Master Hand find-a out. He'll be-a so mad!"

"How are we going to keep it from him?" Fox asked, pacing.

Mario sighed, rubbing his head with gloved hands. "We're-a going to have to replace it before-a he gets back." Master Hand was currently out getting groceries for the twelve. How a giant, floating glove went shopping, no one was sure. The mere mental image of him floating through the produce section with a shopping cart made him want to laugh, though the psychic managed to keep a straight face.

"But we're-a not allowed to go to-a town without his permission." Luigi said with a frown. There was a town nearby the Smash House, about fifteen minutes away by bus. Strangely enough, it seemed to have no name, referred to as only "the town." They were going to have a formal vote to name it in a few months. Its population had been growing recently due to the tournament. The Smashers could only go there with permission. Although the locals has been requested not to mob the Smashers, Master Hand wished to be cautious.

"We're-a gonna have to-a break the rule, Weegee. Master Hand can't-a afford anything else going wrong-a currently." Mario sighed. "Everybody who-a was on the couch must-a chip in for a new one."

"Won't Master Hand notice it's new?" Falcon asked.

"Just-a get the same colour. We'll all pretend it's-a always been that way." Mario replied. "Also, only a few-a people should go. The rest-a will clean debris. Those who-a go, disguise yourselves. Master Hand can't-a see you, no-a matter what!"

* * *

Ness, Link and Falcon all sat on the bus, thoroughly disguised. Ness and Link had removed their trademark hats, and Falcon his helmet. They wore thick coats and scarves. Ness wore a hoodie under his with the hood up, hiding his face. Link hid his pointy ears behind his hair. They all wore casual clothing. The psychic was fairly certain no one recognized them - no one on the bus did, at least.

Stepping out of the bus at the stop, they walked into the frigid air. Ness shivered under his coat. "Right. We need to find a furniture store." He muttered, breath visible in the air. "Where do we find that?"

"Just ask someone." Falcon replied with a shrug. He raised his voice as an older woman walked by. "Ma'am! Do you know where the furniture store is?"

The woman turned around. "Hmm, let's see..." She clicked her tongue, thinking. "Go straight down this road and turn at Mayella Drive. Three buildings down...or is it four? I think it's three. You'll find it there."

"Thank you, ma'am!" Ness called back, the three already sprinting as soon as they heard the directions. The lady scratched her head.

"I know I've heard those voices before...maybe they're related to me somehow...Jimmy's kids maybe..." She mused, watching the three sprint away.

* * *

"Hurry!" Falcon said as they ran through the cold air. Finally slowing down as they reached the store, they huffed, looking in through the slightly dirty windows.

"Right. I think this is what she was talking about. 'Danny's Discount Furniture.'" Ness murmured. "Let's go." Link grunted his agreement and the trio entered.

A small bell dinged as they entered. The entire store was dimly lit. Dust was settled on everything, making it look unclean. A musty smell hung in the air.

"Nevermind. This can't be the place she meant, can it?" Ness muttered, sneezing from the dusty atmosphere.

"No worries on the couch looking too new, though." Falcon reasoned.

"But are you sure this place is even open?" The psychic replied. Tentatively, he took a step towards where the couches were.

"Oi! I think I hear customers!" A wheezing voice spoke up. From behind a desk, an ancient looking man hobbled out, clinging to his cane. "Course, I can't hear much of anything these days!"

"Oh, uh, yes sir, we're here to buy-" Ness started, but was interrupted by the old man.

"Huh, what's that? Speak up, son!"

"WE'RE HERE TO BUY A COUCH." He almost yelled.

"Well, ok, then! Come along!" The old man started moving towards the chairs. "My name's Danny and I have the finest selection of items in all of town. Now-"

"Sir. A COUCH." Falcon shouted, stomping his foot down.

"Oh, dear me, I'm sorry..." Danny stumbled towards the couches. "Any colour or style you're looking for, now?"

"Brown." Ness said loudly as the three followed Danny, their steps making clouds of dust fly up. The psychic's eyes were watering.

"Certainly, young man! How about this beauty?" Danny gestured to a couch that was distinctly blue, despite the dust. "Brown is a nice, earthy tone. I bet you're redecorating-"

"That's a blue couch." Falcon's voice was strained, and his face showed irritation.

Danny chuckled and shook his cane, thumping it against the carpet. "Oh, dear me! My sight isn't as good as it once was. Terribly sorry, young men. You'll understand when you're 97!"

"A bit of a fossil, isn't he?" Falcon muttered. Thankfully, Danny didn't hear.

Link had wandered away from the group, and had found a brown couch. He grunted and gestured for his companions to come see. The psychic and racer pushed their way past, and looked at Link's selection. It looked fairly similar to the one now in pieces on the floor of the living room, and was roughly the same shade of brown. Ness nodded in approval.

"WE'LL TAKE THIS ONE." Falcon yelled at the elderly man, who slowly inched his way over to meet them.

"Alright, lemme ring you up then." The three Smashers watched in agonized silence as Danny slowly made his way over to the register and began to add in their total. "That'll be $50.99. Would you like to become part of our rewards program tod-"

"NO!" Yelled all three Smashers collectively, even Link, who had not said a word on this whole expedition.

"Alright, alright. Maybe next time. Have a nice day!" Arthritic hands passed their receipt to them as they payed. Falcon shoved it in his pocket and they went to go pick up the couch, Link and Falcon with their physical strength and Ness aiding with his telekinesis. Danny didn't bat an eye, as he had leaned back into his chair and was now snoring.

"Right. Let's get out of here before he drops dead or something." Falcon grunted. The three staggered out the door into the frigid air.

* * *

"How are we gonna get this home, exactly?" Falcon asked as reached the outskirts of town with the couch.

"I...didn't think of that." Ness admitted, scratching his head. "I don't think they'll let us on the bus with this."

"We won't make it back before Master Hand if we have to walk!" Falcon growled.

"We'd probably die of frostbite before we got halfway there, anyway." Ness muttered, kicking a stone. The rock flew along the road, before disappearing on the other side.

 _Disappearing..._

Ness snapped his fingers triumphantly. "Guys, I have a plan - but you're going to have to be able to run with the couch."

* * *

Ness almost crashed into a tree as they teleported within walking distance of the Smash House. He gasped from expending that much energy teleporting this big of an object and three people.

"If you could teleport, why did we have to take the bus in the first place?" Falcon asked, regaining balance.

"Takes a lot of energy." Ness grunted. "And I can't teleport within the boundaries of the House except for going into matches. Now, let's hurry."

The three managed their way to the house. Mario, who was watching in the window, threw open the door for them.

"Hurry!" The plumber gasped. "He'll-a be home soon!"

With much effort, the three got the couch through the doorway. Stumbling through, they delivered the couch to the living room, completely clear of debris. They sat the couch down and collectively sighed in relief.

"Now-a go and-a get cleaned up." Mario shooed the trio out. Ness raced up to his bedroom, hardly noticing the cold from running so much. He changed into what he was previously wearing, throwing the dusty disguise in the hamper.

Sprinting back downstairs, the psychic grabbed a blanket and flopped onto the couch with Falcon and Link, as well as Jigglypuff. Wisely, the others sat in the recliners or the floor.

Master Hand floated in a moment later. "The heater is still busted? I thought you called a repairman, Fox."

"He did. Can't come until tomorrow." Ness spoke from under his blanket.

Master Hand sighed. "At least it's only one day. You'll just have to bundle up until then." With that, the glove left the room.

Several people sighed in relief. He hadn't noticed the couch switch. Ness allowed himself to relax, leaning back.

At least, he relaxed until Fox spoke up. "Hopefully he doesn't look in the backyard."

Ness sat up. "Why?"

"Because that's where we dumped the debris pile."

The psychic groaned and buried his head under the blanket.

* * *

 **Hey y'all!**

 **I'm rather pleased with this chapter, unlike last time. I've been working on this all month.**

 **And yes, I did the math. Their combined weights could break a couch, especially an old one.**

 **Danny is completely based on my math teacher, haha. He can't hear anything. No matter what you say in his class, he just assumes you said the right answer.**

 **Link can talk in this story, he just chooses not to.**

 **I swear, if I can get my lazy butt to write more often, that'd be great. That said? Expect a extravagant Christmas chapter or two next month. Pikachu will get redemption, I swear.**

 **Honestly, last chapter wasn't good. I hope this is better! Your reviews give me motivation, guys - I love every one of them.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **-EBC**


	5. Chapter 5

Ness walked into the living room, a curious look on his face. The twelve had been called for a meeting by Master Hand. Most of the others were already there. Samus, Kirby and Fox had the couch. Thankfully, it appeared everyone remembered what happened a mere month ago and were limiting it to three or four on the couch at a time. Mario sat on one recliner, Falcon on the other. It looked like the psychic would be sitting on the floor. He sat at the foot of the couch with Link, who was also there. They sat and waited for the others to arrive, wondering quietly what Master Hand wished to tell them.

Slowly the others trickled in, until all twelve were gathered. Suddenly, Master Hand emerged from the doorway, wearing...a Santa hat on his knuckle? " _Ho, ho, ho, Smashers!_ " Hearing the disembodied limb attempting to sound jolly was honestly terrifying, especially considering his laugh sounded more maniacal than merry.

"Master Hand? Are you feeling alright?" Fox asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Clearly not. I think our madness finally broke him." Falcon answered, scooting slightly away from the hand.

If Master Hand had a face, Ness had a feeling he would have scowled. " _I'm feeling just fine, thank you. I'm simply trying to get you into the Christmas spirit!_ "

Now the Smashers brightened. They had recently explained the concept of Christmas to the Smashers who had never celebrated it, and they loved the idea. Ness leaned forward, interested.

" _I see you're interested. That's good, because we're decorating today._ " Loud cheering broke out. " _You'll all have jobs. I've divided you into teams of three to do various tasks. Mario, Luigi, Kirby! You are decorating upstairs. Falcon, Donkey Kong, Yoshi, you will put up Christmas lights outside. Samus, Fox, Link! You decorate downstairs, and finally, Ness, Pikachu and Jigglypuff will decorate the Christmas tree._ " The hand declared. Ness groaned internally. Why'd he have to get stuck with Pikachu? The rodent didn't seem to like anyone, and Ness had a feeling Pikachu still didn't forgive him for the incident months prior.

" _Ornaments are in the central hallway, labeled with who gets what. Get to work, my elves! Ho, ho, ho!_ " With that, the hand floated off, likely to his office. Falcon slowly shook his head.

"Yep, he's gone off the deep end. Let's get to work." The racer muttered, before springing up and strutting off to the hallway. Ness followed shortly after.

"We're supposed to decorate a tree, but there's no tree in there." He muttered, shaking his head.

"Well, there's one for you!" Fox pointed to the doorway. A medium sized pine tree lay in the frame, a stand and boxes of lights and ornaments beside it. Ness approached it, sizing it up.

"Hey, can I get some help moving this to the living room?" The psychic called. Samus emerged from the living room at his call, joining Falcon, who already started to pick it up. The two carried the tree into the room, showering the carpet in pine needles. Fox frowned at that.

"Hey, we just vacuumed this morning!" He protested angrily. Link nodded in agreement.

"Can't be helped!" Ness said with a wave of his hand, before setting the tree stand in the corner between a recliner and the couch. Samus and Falcon lowered the tree into the stand, and Ness tightened the bolts in the stand until the tree was secure.

Ness's Pokemon partners came back in the room, shoving ornament and light boxes in the room in front of them. Everyone had filtered out of the room by now, aside from the three.

"Well," Ness began somewhat awkwardly, "I guess we should put lights on first?" Jigglypuff squeaked in agreement, and Pikachu just stared at him silently. Ness unboxed the string of lights, which were colourful. Stepping back, he assessed the best way to get the lights to the top. He focused mentally, and used his powers to toss the strand up to the highest part of the tree. They got up there, but were now stuck in a branch. Scowling, the psychic studied the tree and debated what to do.

Jigglypuff then decided to take charge. Inflating, the small Pokemon began to float up to the top. With stubby hands, the puff grabbed the strand of lights and began to loop it around the tree, getting it lower and lower. Eventually when the strand ran out midway down the tree, Jigglypuff deflated, slowly drifting down.

Pikachu grabbed the second strand of colourful lights and sprang up on the recliner with it, tossing it towards the other strand. Ness connected the two, and began to loop it around the tree again until the bottom was reached. The psychic then plugged it in, and the three admired the lights.

The small electric rodent sprang down and opened up the other box. Shiny ornaments lay inside, and Pikachu grabbed one at once. A box of hooks lay unopened atop some of the ornaments. Ness tore the box open quickly and offered a hook to Pikachu, who was trying to put up an ornament without one, making frustrated noises. He accepted it slowly before putting it on the bulb and hanging it.

They continued this way for a while in silence, somewhat awkward, until Jigglypuff dropped an ornament. Glass shattered as it struck the floor, with Pikachu screeching in alarm.

"Puff! Jig-a-ajig puff!" Jigglypuff squealed. Ness translated it as, "So sorry, I'll get the vacuum!" With that, the puff waddled quickly out of the room.

Pikachu crouched under the tree, quivering. "Hey, Pikachu, are you ok?" Ness asked softly, kneeling near him. The yellow mouse gave a small hiss, clearly fearful. "Huh. Didn't know you could hiss." Ness muttered. He looked the rodent in the eyes. "C'mon, Pika. If you're hurt, I can help you." Pikachu warily stared at him more. Hesitantly, the psychic outstretched a hand. "Please, trust me!"

The rodent backed away at first, before slowly coming out. His eyes were wary, but he met Ness's gaze. He had a cut on his back from a shard of glass. Ness gently touched it and murmured, "PSI Lifeup." The cut mended as energy briefly glowed around it before vanishing.

"You're ok." He said after a moment. Pikachu blinked, evidently surprised the pain was gone. The pair sat in silence before Ness finally spoke.

"Pikachu, I...I'm sorry. I don't want to be enemies with you. I shouldn't have lost my temper that night. It was stupid. The whole thing was stupid. But...it's Christmas time now. Can't we forgive each other and be friends?" The psychic softly said. Pikachu was quiet for a moment. Ness was briefly afraid his apology wasn't going to be accepted as they stared in silence at each other, until Pikachu jumped forward.

"Chu-pi!" The rodent squealed as he gave a light nuzzle to the boy. The translation was short and sweet - "Let's be friends." Pikachu then lowered his head and made another soft noise - "I'm sorry."

"That sounds good to me." Ness laughed. If he was honest, he wasn't expecting that. Even if Pikachu did accept the apology, he thought the rodent would be less enthusiastic, regarding Ness with the wariness he gave everyone instead of hostility. He certainly didn't expect an apology. "Now let's get this cleaned up and finish decorating the tree!"

* * *

 _"Hark the Herald angels sing, glory to the newborn king..."_ Ness quietly sang as he hung the last of the ornaments on the tree. Hooking a shiny red one on a branch, he stepped back and admired his work. _"Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled..."_

"Wow, Ness. I didn't know you could sing so well."

A voice behind him made him jump slightly. Turning around, he saw Samus, and smiled. "Ah, thanks, Samus. It's hereditary - my mom and dad both sing well too."

He studied the tree, tipping his head. "The tree looks good, too. How many ornaments did you break?"

"Five," Ness admitted. "I broke three and Pikachu and Jigglypuff broke one each. We got the glass and pine needles cleaned up, though. They're putting up the vacuum right now."

"Ah." Samus said simply. "Why don't you come see the rest of the house? The outside group isn't done yet, but everyone else is."

"Alright." Ness agreed. Samus led the way out of the room, Ness still humming Christmas carols. The psychic had to admire the work they did. Garland was wrapped around the banister of the stairs and the doorframes. On each door hung a Christmas wreath, glittering with lights and bows. Lights were strung along the walls, and holly lay in the corners. "It looks great, Samus!" Ness couldn't see Samus's face very well under his visor, but he was pretty sure he was smiling.

"Thank you. Upstairs looks just as good." He said. "Let's go see how the outside group is doing."

Ness followed his friend out the doorway, shivering as a frigid blast hit him. He should have grabbed a coat. Snow crunched under their feet as they looked at what the others had accomplished. Falcon was tangled in Christmas lights while Yoshi desperately tried to get him out. Donkey Kong was up on the roof, doing most of the actual hanging of lights.

"Hey, a little help here?" Falcon yelled at Samus and Ness. "If you want these lights up before Christmas, someone's got to get me UNTANGLED!"

Ness and Samus looked at each other before walking straight back into the house. Best to leave this to Falcon.

* * *

Christmas morning came all too soon. Ness woke up that morning, and threw off his blankets. Still in his pajamas and even neglecting to put on his hat, he flew down the stairs, Pikachu trailing after him. "It's Christmas, it's Christmas!"

Mario was already in the living room, sitting in a recliner. "Merry Christmas, Ness." He said with a smile.

"Merry Christmas Mario, and Merry Christmas, Master Hand!" Ness said happily as the giant limb floated into the room. Most of the others were slowly gathering into the room, and began pulling packages out and exchanging them.

Ness grabbed his present for Samus out from the tree and handed it to him. "Merry Christmas, Samus!"

Samus accepted the present. "Thank you, Ness! You didn't have to get me something." He tore open the package. "Oh...boxers?"

"I know, I know, underwear is personal. But you never seem to have any when we do laundry, so..." Ness said with a shrug.

"Well, thank you." Samus said in a strange voice. It wasn't quite unhappy...it seemed more like Samus was thinking about saying something, but wasn't quite decided yet. If he was going to, he was interrupted by Master Hand.

"All right, everyone, get close. We're taking a picture." The hand announced. Everyone gathered close together and looked up.

"Hey everyone! Say 'fuzzy pickles'!" Ness yelled out of impulse.

" **Fuzzy pickles!** "

The picture that was taken that day would hang in the living room as long as the tournament lasted. A true family picture.

* * *

 **MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!**

 **I hope y'all like this chapter! I was so scared I wasn't going to get it out before Christmas! Have a little Christmas cheer and fun in this. I think it's good! (And yes, I was totally throwing a hint at one of my favorite theories in this! If you recognize it, nice. It is kind of obvious to some!)**

 **I hope y'all have a good Christmas! Can you do me a favor and leave a review? I ask for no other presnt, haha.**

 **Next time on Way Back When is gonna be a good one: A certain someone's big secret is getting out! Oh boy!**

 **-EBC**


	6. Chapter 6

It was fairly quiet at the Smash House one January afternoon as Ness gathered laundry from the hamper. He had no idea that today, something was going to be different.

The psychic was in a foul mood after losing horribly in a match to Falcon and Donkey Kong. He had decided to start the laundry early to get his mind off it, even though they didn't usually do it until a half an hour later. Samus was almost always down there before him. Maybe for once, he'd beat him downstairs.

Laundry basket full, Ness walked his way to the basement door and swung it open. He stepped on the first stair, which was incredibly squeaky and gave a sharp squeal as his foot connected. As it squealed, Ness heard someone loudly curse. Samus was already down here, but why?

Ness could hear clanking of metal as he walked down the stairs. Setting down the laundry basket, he could see a tense Samus. He seemed frazzled, and his armor was crooked, particularly the helmet. Ness had never seen Samus without his helmet. He always wore it, even during meals. Ness respected his privacy, but at the same time was curious about what his friend's face looked like.

"You're down here early." Ness said.

Was it just the psychic's imagination, or did Samus sound defensive as he spoke? "Well, so are you. What are you doing here?"

"Figured I'd get a jump on the laundry. I need to take my mind off something." He replied evenly. "You're acting strange, Samus. What's up with you?"

"Nothing!" Samus yelled. He lowered his voice as he continued. "I'm fine, Ness. Really. You just surprised me." He grabbed some laundry out of the basket. "Let's start sorting, ok?"

Samus was definitely acting unusual. Ness decided he was going to get to the bottom of this. "What were you doing down here? Come to think of it, you're always here early..." His friend was definitely tensing up. "Are you... _hiding_ something?"

"No!" He said quickly. "I'm not. I just come down here to be alone."

Ness made up his mind. One more question, and then he'd drop it. "Samus, really. You can tell me. I won't spread it around. I swear I won't tell anyone. Please, trust me!"

He stared down at the laundry pile for a minute, before finally raising his head. "Go lock the door." Samus ordered. Ness, not hesitating, went up and locked it with a _click._ "Thought I locked it when you came in, but clearly I hadn't." He muttered, more to himself than anyone else. As the psychic walked back down the stairs, Samus sighed. "If you tell anyone what I'm about to show you, you will _not_ like the consequences." Samus warned.

"I won't tell." Ness promised.

Samus took another deep breath, and removed his helmet.

Except, it wasn't a _he_ under the metal, but a _she._

Samus was a girl.

She had long blonde hair neatly tied back into a ponytail. Her face was sharp, and she had stern blue eyes. She appeared uneasy, obviously wary of showing her true self to Ness. Even with her wariness, she looked as though she was ready for action at the drop of a pin.

Samus was actually quite beautiful, Ness realized.

"You're a girl." He managed after a moment.

"Yes."

"You're just now telling me this."

"Yes."

The two stared at each other silently for a few tense moments. Neither seemed sure what to say.

Ness broke the silence by groaning loudly. "If I knew you were a girl, I wouldn't have gotten you boxers for Christmas!"

Samus cracked an amused smile. "Trust me, that was actually quite funny." She said with a smirk. The smile vanished off her face a moment later. "You can't tell anyone, Ness. I've kept this a secret this long. I can't let it get out."

"Why are you hiding it?" Ness questioned, tipping his head like a confused puppy. The psychic couldn't understand it. It seemed like a strange thing to hide...

Samus sighed and turned away. The bounty hunter began pacing the concrete floor, looking for the right words to say. "Ness...you're the youngest here. And you're constantly being reminded of that, aren't you? Falcon doesn't let you forget it, especially when he beats you in matches." Ness subconsciously tensed, balling his hands into fists as he remembered Falcon's words after the match.

 _"Too bad, **kid.** Looks like you lost again!"_

It made Ness's blood boil. He rarely did poorly in matches, and actually did quite well in the tournament.

Samus continued on, ponytail swishing as she rapidly paced. "No one really took you seriously at first. You've more than proved yourself, and yet you still get patronized sometimes, don't you?"

"Well, yeah...but it's gotten a lot better now. Falcon's the only one who gives me crap." Ness muttered, scuffing his shoe against the ground. He looked up at Samus. "What does my situation hafta do with you being a girl, anyway?"

Samus looked at him with a sharp glance, meeting his eyes. "Ness, do the math. If you're treated like that for being youngest, can you imagine what it'd be like for me? The only woman in this tournament?"

"Jigglypuff is female." Ness pointed out.

"No one counts the Pokemon." Samus rolled her eyes. "I'm pretty sure only you can understand them anyway." She sighed and leaned against the washing machine. "I wasn't going to keep it a secret, but when I saw I was the only female in that living room on the first day..." Samus trailed off, shaking her head. "I want to be known for my strength. _Not_ for being the only woman here."

Ness was quiet for a moment, contemplating what to do. Samus said nothing, and only started doing the laundry, sorting the lights and darks. Finally, Ness spoke, bending down to help his friend with the chore.

"I know it can be annoying, dealing with idiots like Falcon." He started off slowly. "I've dealt with him since day one for my differences. But besides him at this point...I feel respected. Yes, people judged me at first. But I showed them. I decided I wasn't going to put up with people acting like I was inferior. That first night at dinner, spilling that water all over Falcon...I showed him I wasn't going to be an easy target. And I've fought hard to prove that. The other Smashers and spectators might think of me as "the kid Smasher", but they also think of me as a fighter. A baffling psychic, playing mind games with his opponents. And you know, maybe both roles are good for me.

"Ever since we've been growing in popularity, people in town and the spectators have been supporting us. I don't know if you've noticed, but we're kinda gaining a following. And sometimes, I feel like a hero to the younger people there. I know that sounds high and mighty of me," Ness said with a laugh, "But they really do make me feel heroic. So I guess what I'm trying to say is that maybe being different isn't so bad. If you revealed your true self, I don't think anyone would look down on you. And if they did, you'd kick their rears and prove 'em wrong!"

Samus was silent as she listened to Ness's rambling speech, sorting clothes but barely focusing.

"I'm not going to reveal you, Samus. I made a promise, and I don't break promises. But think about what I said." Ness said softly. Interestingly enough, his words had made him feel better about himself.

Because really, who cares what Falcon thinks?

Finally, Samus nodded. "I'll think about it."

* * *

It was later that day at dinner. Ness and most of the other Smashers were sat at the table as Mario and Luigi carried out a steaming dish of beef and noodles. The only one missing, aside from Kirby, was Samus. She had locked herself in her room after the laundry was finished, not even letting her roommate in, much to Jigglypuff's annoyance.

She appeared in the doorway after a moment and took her usual seat.

Then, quietly, she removed her helmet.

Shock filled the room as everyone, aside from Ness, saw her true face for the first time. Finally, Falcon stammered out, "You're a _girl?!_ "

She coolly raised an eyebrow. "How observant of you." Her sharp eyes challenged him to say something, anything. When he didn't, she continued. "I realized today there's no sense in me hiding myself. Clearly I show my strength. Does it really matter?"

Silence.

Samus smirked. "Good. No objections. Now if you're all done gaping at me, let's eat."

Dinner began, with people serving themselves and talking busily. Samus caught Ness's eye from across the table.

"Thanks." She mouthed silently to him.

He merely flashed her a thumbs up in return.

* * *

 **Oh boy, this was fun to write!**

 **I hope y'all liked it. I don't know about you, but I'm still not over Ness giving Samus boxers for Christmas.**

 **Next up, we have a Valentine's Day special! Stay tuned.**

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing. Y'all make my day!**

 **-EBC**


	7. Chapter 7

"Falcon, I swear if you ask me out one more time, I'm going to shoot you."

Samus's annoyed voice carried from the dining room to the kitchen, where Ness was cooking lunch. He listened to the ongoing conversation while flipping grilled cheese with a spatula and his telekinesis (this was the only thing the psychic could safely cook without burning, and he had grown quite skilled at flipping multiple sandwiches at once this way). The racer, since seeing Samus without her helmet, had become quite smitten with the bounty hunter, much to her dismay. This current proposal was the 11th one that week.

"Come on, Sammy! It's Valentine's _Day tomorrow!_ " Falcon pleaded. His voice changed to a more suave tone. "Besides, we'd make a great couple. Two gorgeous bounty hunters like us... a perfect match! Just picture it! I'll take you out to the best restaurant in town, and we'll- oof!"

Ness snickered as he heard Falcon's sudden cry of pain. He was almost certain Samus had kicked him in the shins, or perhaps the groin. This was gaining to be quite amusing.

"One - Don't call me Sammy. Two - No. Means. No." Samus said in a dry voice. "Now sit down and quit being stupid."

"You're even prettier when you're angry, you know." Falcon said, wheezing between each word. _Definitely a groin kick,_ Ness decided as he listened to the pained sentence.

"Why are you rejecting me? Don't tell me you already have a date!' Falcon said, a slight whine in his tone. Ness gathered up the sandwiches onto a platter, tossing the spatula into the sink haphazardly. He scooped up the tray and started for the dining room door when he heard Samus's tart reply.

"As a matter of fact, I do."

There was a shattering sound as glass hit the floor, evidently from Falcon dropping his water glass. " _WHAT?!_ " The racer almost screamed. Even the others in the room muttered in surprise. Samus was a good looking woman, no doubt, but the Smashers didn't really see her as the type to have a boyfriend.

"And he's much more civilized than you." Samus muttered. Falcon slammed his hands on the table.

"Who is it?! They must be something special if you're taking them on a date!" He yelled, obviously befuddled from this shocking revelation.

"Ness." Samus replied curtly. This time, both Ness and Falcon yelled out, "WHAT?!", Ness even dropping the platter. He quickly recovered it, however, before it hit the floor.

Falcon dashed over and shook Ness's shoulders. "How did you do it?! How did _you_ snag someone like _her?!_ "

Ness shot Samus a panicked look. She leaned forward and mouthed, "I'll explain later," before pulling Falcon off of him. "Now Falcon, jealousy isn't good on someone like you." She said with a smirk. "Now how about we eat?"

Falcon glared daggers at him the whole meal.

* * *

"So we're going on a date." Ness said, shaking his head in bewilderment. It was after lunch, and the duo sat in Samus's room later that afternoon. "But we can't. You're older than me, I only like you as a friend, and I already have a girlfriend!" Ness's face heated up as he thought of Paula. He wasn't sure if they were dating truly - or if they even should call each other boyfriend and girlfriend. All he knew is they both liked each other a lot and calling her his girlfriend felt good.

"I know." Samus sighed, leaning back against her bed with a slump. "I don't like you like that either. That'd just be creepy. But I was desperate for him to stop hitting on me, and I just said the first person that came to mind. I'm sorry. But I guess we can hardly back out now, can we?"

"No," Ness sighed. "I guess not. The ruse is already in place. So I guess we'll do it - a platonic date. I mean, at least it's messing with Falcon." He began to pace the parameters of the room. "But if we're doing this, we need to go all out in messing with him."

Samus, nodded, on board with the plan. "What are you thinking?"

"Suit and a dress." Ness said.

"Do you even own a suit?" Samus said, raising an eyebrow.

"Do you even own a dress?" Ness countered evenly, smirking. "And yes. I own a suit."

"Fair point." Samus conceded. "And yes, I own a dress. I guess we can actually go out to a restaurant or something if we're actually doing this." She grinned, stretching out against her pillow. "The look on Falcon's face is going to be priceless."

"The look on everyone's faces." Ness corrected. He gave a snort. "Did you see Mario's jaw drop at lunch? It was hilarious!"

"True." She agreed with a chuckle. "Oh, this'll be interesting..."

* * *

Ness, as strange as it sounded, felt naked without his signature cap. The teen was standing in front of the bathroom mirror, desperately trying to tame his messy raven-black hair. A deviant strand would not stop popping up and falling over his left eye. "This is why I wear a hat." He muttered to himself, giving up the battle and tossing down his comb.

Staring at his reflection, Ness had to admit he liked what he saw. His violet eyes complimented the tie he wore, which was pale blue. The suit was dark black, and the dress shirt underneath was royal blue. If only it wasn't so hot and itchy.

Stepping out of the bathroom, he went downstairs to wait. After a moment, Samus appeared. Her hair was down and curled slightly at the ends, and she wore a deep magenta dress. She walked effortlessly in high heels, and despite not putting on any makeup, her face was beautifully defined. Ness could see Falcon oogling at her from the living room out of the corner of his eye. The racer had been surly and bitter since yesterday.

"Ready to go? I got Master Hand's approval already." She asked. It took Ness a moment to regain his composure.

"Right. Let's head out." He managed.

* * *

"...Did you see the look on his face?" Samus laughed as they were seated at the table in the restaurant some hour and thirty minutes later. The duo was almost finished with their meal, and had been talking about both the prank and the tournament.

"Only barely. He could barely keep his jaw from dropping!" Ness said with a smile. The two were at a fancy restaurant in town. Ness couldn't even pronounce the name of it. As they were both Smashers, they were being treated like celebrities. The food was delicious, and the lighting dim, as it came from candlelight, making the whole scene have an air of romance for the many couples gathered there.

"Thanks for agreeing to this." Samus said, sipping from her water glass. "I don't know why Falcon doesn't understand that I don't want to date him."

"I really do think he likes you." Ness said, surprising even himself, though he knew it to be the truth deep down. "He might express it in the most idiotic way possible, but I think he does. And I guess you could do worse. When he's not being a jerk, Falcon's alright. Maybe he just needs some encouragement."

Samus sighed and shook her head as she picked up a piece of bread. "You could be right...but I'm not dating him any time soon. He'd have to prove quite a lot for that to happen." She glanced up at Ness. "What about you? Tell me about your girlfriend. You said you had one."

The psychic flushed crimson. "Well, uh, it's complicated. I don't know if we're really together or not. We both like each other, and..." He sighed and took a deep breath. "Paula is the most wonderful girl in the world. She's so sweet and strong, and has the most gorgeous eyes... they're a deep, deep blue. Her hair is gold and she wears it long..." A dreamy expression settled on his face. "She's really smart and kind, and would do anything for her friends. She's a bit of a pyromaniac..." He trailed off before speaking again. "I think I'm in love with her."

Samus had listened to his rambling with a small smile on her face. "Ness, whoever this Paula girl is, you're over the moon about her." She said. "It's clear you care about her. If you really feel this way, talk to her. You both feel this way, don't you? It seems to me like you should be together."

"...Thanks, Samus." Ness said softly.

The blonde stood up. "Shall we go? We've finished our food."

After paying, the two left the restaurant and walked through the town, shivering in the frigid February air. They were almost to the bus stop when Samus stopped and pointed.

"Look!" She said quietly. Near the crest of a hill, Kirby and Jigglypuff were holding stubby hands.

"Now that's a cute couple." The psychic said with a grin.

"Heh...guess we'll have to go back home now and tell Falcon it was just a joke before he tries to drown his sorrows away or something." Samus shook her head good naturedly as they waited for the bus. "This was still pretty fun, though."

"It was." Ness said with a smile. "Friendly love is a good thing to celebrate."

* * *

 ***collapses***

 **There! I got the chapter out before the 14th!**

 **I like this chapter a lot! I thought it would be a fun concept to explore. My brother is a huge Falcon/Samus fan and desperately wants them together, so perhaps someday...maybe not in this fic, but I already have a sequel planned once it's finished...**

 **I love Ness/Paula, if you couldn't tell. Also, the headcanon that Ness has violet eyes is something I've loved for a long time.**

(I swear I'll make chapters longer soon, by the way!)

 **Thank you to my faithful reviewers! I love you guys, and everyone who follows and favorites too!**

 **-EBC**


	8. Chapter 8

Ness woke up in a cold sweat, silently screaming as he sat up in bed. He gasped for breath, clawing out of his blanket. Most of his bedding was strewn on the floor. The clock displayed the time as 3:26 A.M.

It had been a long time since his last nightmare of Giygas, but he still got them. Feeling sick from the mere memory of the horror he was forced to relive in his dreams, he got out of bed and ran to the bathroom. He barely got the door closed and the light on before he heaved into the toilet, shuddering violently.

Every part of him felt sick. Ness seldom was truly afraid, but he was completely filled with cold, undeniable terror. He could still hear that voice, Giygas calling his name again and again as he was forced to deal with something no one, let alone a young teenager, should ever have to witness. That unholy being had scarred him mentally, and though he did a good job hiding it behind smiles and an upbeat attitude, Ness knew his dreams were going to be haunted for the rest of his life.

For as strong as he acted, for as well as he hid it, he had to break down sometimes. These breakdowns usually occurred in the middle of the night, after the dreams got particularly violent. Usually his mom would calm him down. But here, he didn't have her.

As he heaved once again, he thought of how he hadn't had these dreams since he first came to this tournament. Maybe that's part of the reason he enjoyed being here so much.

Drawing himself away from the toilet, Ness fell to the floor and sobbed. He chastised himself internally: _"You have a match in the morning! Stop crying and get back to sleep so you won't be tired!"_ Even as the psychic thought this, he knew he wasn't getting back to sleep tonight.

He flushed and exited the bathroom, flicking the lights off. He didn't want to wake anyone up, but didn't intend on sleeping himself. Quietly moving through the halls, he crept down the stairs and wandered through the halls. The house felt too confining, and much too quiet. Ness was used to hearing it bustling with activity - someone vacuuming, laughter, arguments, cooking. In the dead of night, no one was up save for himself. The most noise he heard was soft snores from the bedrooms, the quiet noise of the heater, and his own muffled sobs as he tried to get a grip and stop crying.

Ness wasn't really sure where he was going, walking in circles around the hallways of the house, but he eventually found himself walking towards the front door. He silently passed Master Hand's office - the light was on, but the door was shut. Did the giant limb even sleep? - and the basement door, past the stairs and into the hallway leading to the door. Turning the knob, he stepped out into the cold night air with a shiver. Ness closed the door softly, and walked off of the porch.

He didn't know what he would do now. The raven-haired boy wasn't wearing a coat or even shoes, and his pajamas weren't terribly warm. But the idea of going back inside seemed insufferable. So he paced the front yard, feet freezing from the cold grass.

After roughly 10 minutes of this, he stopped and gazed upward at the Smash House. It was strange how this place felt like home after only living there a few months. There was talk of possibly expanding the house sometime - the tournament was pulling in a good amount of money now. People were moving to the town nearby more and more to see the twelve duke it out in intense matches. Master Hand seemed quite pleased with the growth. And yet as much as it grew, the house still maintained a home-like look. Luigi had planted flowers in the front yard, which were just beginning to peak up. There was a chip in the paint on the side of the house from when Donkey Kong and Captain Falcon got into a rather intense version of catch. A lone strand of Christmas lights still hung on the porch, which Mario kept asking someone to take down but no one ever did.

It was strange. Focusing on these little things was calming him down. Ness approached the porch and slowly took down the strand of lights. That would make Mario happy, at least. Most of the bulbs were broken. He carried the lights down to the trash bin and set them inside.

Was he being watched? It was strange, but Ness felt like he could sense someone watching. Turning around, he saw no one there. Surely it was too early for anyone else to be up. The sun had yet to rise.

Ness's feet were cold and tired, but he still didn't want to go inside. His violet eyes fell on the roof. It seemed strangely alluring to him. He decided to find a way up and sit awhile.

Walking up to the side of the house, he mentally focused and took a deep breath as his feet left the ground. His concentration was shaky - although he was calmer than before, a lingering sense of paranoia was haunting his mind. Nonetheless, he managed to levitate, slowly ascending higher into the air. Ness knew he was being reckless - a fall from this height would hurt, and his powers weren't at their best right now, but he honestly didn't care. He slowly managed to ease himself onto the roof.

Letting out a small gasp at the mental effort he had used, he moved toward the middle of the roof with careful steps. Finally, Ness sat on the worn shingles, feet dangling over the edge. Staring out at the yard, still mostly lit by moonlight, was relaxing as well. He felt almost like nodding off again after a few minutes, as dangerous as that sounded. He could easily fall off the roof if he rolled off in his sleep, but he just didn't care as his eyelids began to droop...

* * *

 _"...Ness!"_

Ness's eyes snapped open to find himself slipping over the edge, falling. He didn't even have time to scream, however, as he was caught almost as soon as he started to fall - by Master Hand.

 _"What were you thinking?!"_ Master Hand lectured as Ness sat up in his palm. The oversized fingers steadied him, and Ness lowered his head, embarrassed.

"I didn't mean to fall asleep." He mumbled shamefully. "I just wanted to sit up there."

 _"You weren't asleep very long."_ Master Hand said dryly. _"Only about a minute, which was all the time you needed to fall."_ Gently, the hand sat Ness down on the roof again, farther away from the edge. _"I've been watching you since you walked past my office."_ Quieter, and in a much softer tone of voice than Ness had ever heard him use before, he asked, _"What happened, Ness? Why are you awake this early?"_

Ness turned away, heat rising to his cheeks in shame. It was bad enough Master Hand caught him falling off the roof. To learn he had been watching him cry all that time was embarrassing. "Nothing. It's nothing."

 _"Clearly it's not nothing_. _You're upset enough to be wandering around at this hour, so something is wrong."_ The glove chided gently. _"You can tell me, Ness. I know you get homesick frequently. Is that the issue?"_

Ness's eyes widened in surprise. "How did you know that?" He questioned, before shaking his head. "No. That's not the problem this time. I don't get homesick here too often anyway."

 _"I know a lot of things."_ Master Hand said simply. _"I certainly know all about all of the Smashers' journeys."_ The psychic tensed as he mentioned that, and the limb seemed to understand something by Ness's body movement. _"It's something about that, isn't it? Your journey."_

Ness lowered his eyes, staring at the yard below. "Yeah." He quietly admitted. Tears pricked at his eyes once again, and Ness silently cursed them. "I had a nightmare, ok? About Giygas. I couldn't sleep, so I came out here."

 _"Ness. Look at me."_ Master Hand ordered. Ness turned his head farther away. _"Look at me."_ He spoke again, firmer this time. Slowly, the psychic turned his head to the glove. _"There is absolutely **no** shame in having nightmares. Especially when you've gone through something like that. Quite frankly, I'm shocked you don't have them more often. If anyone thinks it's shameful to be afraid, they are **fools.** Fear is natural."_

Ness shook his head. "I can't look weak. It's over with. I shouldn't be afraid of my dreams!" He spat out, clenching his fists.

 _"Fear does not equal weakness."_ Master Hand said firmly, twitching a finger as if to wave away the statement. _"You need to learn that. No one here thinks you are weak, Ness. And I assure you that you are not the only one still wrestling with the horrors you've faced."_

He slumped over. "I know." He softly said. A stray tear slipped down his face, and he wiped it away. "I don't know why I feel like I have to prove myself over and over. I tell Samus she won't be judged for being the only woman and that she shouldn't care what the others think anyway, but I'm just a h-hypocrite, aren't I?" A sob shook his shoulders, but he didn't try to stop it. The young psychic was too tired to care anymore. "I tell myself over and over again that no one judges me for my age, but I'm constantly thinking about what they think of me!"

 _"That's natural."_ He responded quietly. _"And I'm aware you're trying to get yourself out of that mindset. You should start by acknowledging that it is absolutely alright to have nightmares. Tell me that, Ness. Try saying it out loud."_

"Why?" Ness asked. "How will that help?"

 _"Saying something - actually speaking it - helps you remember."_

Ness took a deep breath. "Ok then." He muttered. "It is absolutely alright to have nightmares."

 _"Again."_

"It is absolutely alright to have nightmares."

 _"One more time."_

"It is absolutely alright to have nightmares!" Ness spoke more strongly now than before.

 _"And no one thinks any less of you for having them."_ The glove said, his voice kind, but firm.

Ness sat quietly for a moment before speaking again. "Thanks, Master Hand."

If he had a mouth, Ness was sure Master Hand would have smiled. _"It is no problem, Ness. Now, you need to come back inside. You have no coat on, and it's still cold out here."_

Ness sighed. "I don't think I'll be able to go back to sleep tonight. Even though I dozed off up here, it wouldn't have lasted."

 _"You don't have to return to bed. It is still several hours until the others usually rise, though. If you wish, you are free to join me in my office, but you will come inside no matter what you choose to do."_ Master Hand responded. Ness raised an eyebrow. The Smashers usually were not permitted to be in Master Hand's office, which was quite understandable considering how destructive they were.

"You mean it?" He questioned.

 _"Yes. I will be in there and see no harm in you being in there as well as long as I am there. Now, let's get down from here."_ Ness tensed as Master Hand picked him up once again and lowered him to the ground before setting him down. The two entered the house, and headed towards the hand's office. The door opened as though by telekinesis - not Ness's, however.

The office was lit by an old lamp. Many bookshelves lined the walls as well as filing cabinets. A red velvet couch sat in the middle of the room on a rug covered in elaborate symbols. Towards the left side, an extra large mahogany desk sat, papers strewn all about it, and a lone picture frame occupying the right corner. Ness recognized the photo as the one taken at Christmas of the twelve of them. Master Hand gestured for Ness to sit with a flick of his finger. Taking a seat on the velvet couch, he relaxed.

 _"I apologize for the mess. I'm afraid I've recently received an influx of paperwork. However, I can't tell you about it... yet."_ Master Hand's voice almost sounded gleeful. It was clear whatever that paperwork was for, he was excited.

"It's fine." Ness said. Only the hand's desk was cluttered, the rest of the room was quite clean.

The pair didn't talk much. Ness was more than content to just sit quietly and listen to the godlike being work. Despite his earlier remarks, the young boy found himself falling into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

He awoke a few hours later, curled up on the couch in an almost catlike position. A blanket that hadn't been there before was draped over him, and he yawned and sat up. An old grandfather clock against the wall showed it to be 7:01 A.M.

 _"It appears you slept after all. I take it this one was peaceful?"_ Master Hand questioned from his desk.

"Yes. Yes it was." Ness said with a small smile. Stretching, he got off the couch. "Since I'm up, I'll go ahead and take breakfast duty today after I shower. I don't think Link will care."

 _"Very well."_ Master Hand said. As Ness opened the door to leave, he heard th hand speak once more. _"And Ness?"_

"Yes?" The psychic turned around.

 _"You are always welcome to come to me when you_ _have a problem. All the Smashers are. No matter the time of day. After all, seldom do I sleep."_

"Thank you." Ness said softly, before leaving the room.

* * *

 **I know this different than my usual writings, but once I got this idea, I couldn't get it to leave! I also wanted to flesh out some characterization for Master Hand, so two birds, one stone I guess!**

 **I believe him to be an almost father figure for the Smashers. He may get irritated by their antics and wish they'd just behave, but he cares about all of them. He is a godlike being- whenever he battles the Smashers, he is only using a fraction of his power. He is a firm believer in order, and sometimes wonders why he's hosting such a chaotic tournament in the first place.**

 **Ness, particularly after this event, respects him deeply.**

 **Also about Ness: he constantly sits on the roof when he wants to be alone and think. This habit gets more dangerous as the tournaments go on and the building gets taller, but no one can talk him out of it.**

 **He also, like I showed above, has violent nightmares.**

 **I just wanted to show Ness's more vulnerable side. As strong as he acts, he's not indestructible and he has a hard time accepting that.**

 **I hope y'all liked this!**

 **Now, MeltingCandle had a question in their most recent review I figured I would answer here. "Are there going to be more POVs in the future besides Ness's?" Currently, I'm not planning on that until maybe the Melee-based sequel I plan on writing to this until after it's finished. Even then, I'm not sure. But I might do it sometime in the future if I get inspiration!**

 **Is there anything y'all would like to see in this fic? Questions, comments, suggestions? Leave a review and tell me! Thanks again to my wonderful reviewers.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **-EBC**


	9. Chapter 9

The July heat was absolutely baking as Ness staggered into the house after an intense training session in the backyard, silently cursing that they didn't have an indoor training room (Although a few Smashers had tried training in the basement, Samus had threatened to kill them if they did it again after Kirby and Fox broke part of the washing machine). The temperatures were hitting into the 90s and 100s every day, and it made most everyone cranky.

Jogging up the stairs, Ness frowned as he saw the bathroom door locked. Due to the heat, everyone had to take showers after training or matches. This would be fine, if people didn't hog the bathroom so much. Ness had no doubt whoever was in there had been in for quite some time, simply that's because what always happened in the house, and someone had been in the bathroom before he went out to train. He gave a sharp knock on the door. "Hurry up!"

'Be patient!" The reply, muffled by the noise of running water and the wood door, belonged to Fox. Ness huffed and slouched against the wall. _Fox better rinse the shower this time..._ He thought, wiping sweat off his forehead as he sat and waited. As he did, he noted his bangs were getting long. They almost covered his eyes. It wasn't just his bangs either. All of his black hair was getting quite shaggy. Although normally he wouldn't notice the untamed raven locks, they pushed out from under his hat currently, giving him a ragamuffin look. Come to think of it, Ness couldn't remember the last time his hair had been cut, which explained why it was practically touching his shoulders in the back.

The door swung open at last, and Fox walked out, fur still damp. "Did you rinse the shower?" Ness called back at his retreating form.

"Yes." Fox answered. "By the way, wash your hair. Mario's orders. He's cutting it with Luigi after you get out. That, and it's greasier than Falcon's fried chicken, and I didn't think that was possible."

"Hey!" Ness scowled. "That's impossible! That chicken had enough grease to give a guy a heart attack!" He got no reply other than a small snort as Fox descended down the stairs. Sighing, the psychic went into the bathroom.

* * *

Emerging around twenty minutes later, now clean, Ness dumped his filthy clothes and wet towel in the hamper. Bounding down the stairs, he strolled into the hallway.

"Ness? Is-a that you?" Mario's voice came from the dining room.

"Yep." Ness replied, walking into the room. "Fox told me you were going to cut my hair?" Noting the chair pulled away from the table, Ness walked over and took a seat. Mario nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes! Luigi is-a getting the scissors. Ready to-a lose some of that bulk?" The plumber said with a smile. "I'm-a sure it must-a be hot."

"It is. I think the last time I cut my hair was months ago, and that was just trimming my bangs." Ness said, messing with the offending piece of hair. "Honestly, I could pass for a girl right now!"

Mario gave a small laugh, eyes twinkling in amusement. "That's a bit of an-a exaggeration, but I'm-a sure you'll feel cooler without it." Ness tugged off his hat and reverently placed it on the table. Ness was hardly a careful person, but he always treated his hat as though it was made of delicate glass. Sure, his friends laughed about it, but that hat had been through a lot of things with him, and it had been his father's. It was practically an heirloom.

Luigi wandered in with a pair of old silver scissors in his hands. "Are you-a ready?" He asked Mario, who nodded in response. Taking a bit of Ness's pitch black hair, Mario accepted the scissors and snipped at it, occasionally asking Luigi to hold some of it aside. It was all going just fine until Ness heard that accursed word, instilling a feeling quite like his blood freezing over in him.

 _"Oops."_

Ness's eyes widened as he heard the small word escape from Luigi's mouth. "What did you do?!" He demanded at once. "I swear if you messed up..."

Now the young psychic heard a small, nervous laugh. "Ah, n-no. We didn't. Just uh, dropped-a the scissors." The man's nervousness was almost tangible, especially to a psychic as emotionally tuned as Ness. Worse yet, he could sense another emotion from both brothers - panic.

 _"How-a do we fix this?"_ He heard Luigi hiss to Mario.

 _"Just-a keep going and don't-a say a word."_ Mario answered back. Ness heard the scissors begin snipping again, more frantically this time. It was clear they were trying to reverse some kind of damage.

Looking back, Ness should have stopped them right there, but regretfully, he did not.

He sensed something next almost like Luigi's emotions wincing - that couldn't be good. "Ok, seriously. What did you do?" He asked again. He got no response other than a brief hesitation, then the snip of scissors, and a sharp gasp.

"That's it!" He yelled, springing out of the chair. "If you won't tell me, I'll see myself!" With that, he stormed out of the dining room, sprinting through the hallway to the downstairs bathroom, all while ignoring Mario's frantic "No-a, don't look!"

Flipping on the lightswitch, Ness yelped and recoiled at his own reflection. He was no longer shaggy - now, he had a haircut that looked like a bowl cut had a baby with a bald head, with the grandfather being a head with ringworm. (Perhaps he was being a _tiny bit_ dramatic, but the point stood that his new hair sucked.)

Staggering back in the dining room, Ness stared down the two sheepish looking plumbers with a poisonous glare. Hesitantly, Mario raised the pair of scissors again, and Ness took a step back.

"Don't you dare touch my bangs."

* * *

Ness spent the remainder of the day hiding in his room, trying to fix his hair by any means possible. Hair products and combing were only covering up the unsightly bald patch on his right side, leaving the rest just awkwardly...there. Even his trusty hat could only cover up so much of it.

Finally, Ness simply grabbed a towel from the bathroom and wrapped it around his head before placing his cap on top. He looked _ridiculous_ \- but desperate times called for desperate measures.

Seeing it was dinnertime, he gave a loud sigh and walked downstairs, entering the dining room as though it was a crime scene and he might see something terrible there. The others stared at him blankly, unsure why their resident youth had seemingly developed a questionable taste in hair accessories out of nowhere.

Mario and Luigi entered with plates of food, wincing as they saw the animosity in Ness's eyes from his seat at the dining table. Sitting down with the rest of the group, they began to eat, both the brothers and psychic uncharacteristically quiet.

"Are we not going to acknowledge the elephant in the room?" Falcon said, gesturing at Ness. "Why do you have that thing on your head?"

"None of your business." Ness retorted sullenly. A few of the Smashers looked even more confused. It was bizarre to see the normally sunny psychic acting so bitter.

Mario sighed and shook his head. "We gave him a bad haircut."

"HEY!" Ness slammed his fist on the table, rattling the dishes. "Maybe I was trying to keep that a secret and would have rather you _not_ share it with everyone?"

"We were bound to find out eventually." Fox said, sipping his water. "What were you going to do during matches? Can't fight with a towel on your head, after all." Donkey Kong grunted his agreement next to him.

"Jig-Jig!" Jigglypuff exclaimed. Ness shook his head and scowled.

"No! No! I am not showing it!" He muttered. The psychic's irritation and embarrassment was reaching a peak, face flushed a deep red. "Stop..."

"We won't laugh." Link spoke up. Many looked surprised. The Hylian usually chose to communicate only through gestures.

Ness took a deep, shuddering breath. "Fine." He mumbled. He pulled the towel off, revealing the mess of a haircut he had. "Look, it's terrible. Can I please put the towel back now?" He braced silently for the laughs he was sure were to come.

"If you wore your hat tilted up more, it will hide some of the bald patch."

Ness blinked in surprise as _Falcon,_ of all people, offered his advice. Hesitantly, he tilted it the way he advised. Samus nodded in approval.

"Once it grows back a little, you can trim off on the other side so it looks even." She recommended, studying it.

"Combing your hair completely flat in the back will make it less noticable too." Falcon added again. "It won't be fantastic, but it'll save some of your dignity."

Ness sat and stared, openmouthed, at the fact that his fellow Smashers were being genuinely helpful. Mario cleared his throat, somewhat awkwardly, and looked Ness in the eyes.

"Ness...we're-a really sorry about-a ruining your hair." He apologized, Luigi nodding at his words with a morose appearance. Staring at his reflection in the water glass, Ness contemplated what to say. True, the plumbers had saddled him with a mar on his appearance he could be teased for... but no one had. They were all helpful, and supportive, shocking the young boy.

People always did manage to surprise him.

Looking up, Ness met their gaze with a genuine smile. "It's alright. Maybe someday I'll be able to look back at this and laugh."

And indeed, in the later tournaments, he would recount this time with an embarrassed, but humorous, outlook.

* * *

 **I think everyone's had a bad haircut at some point.**

 **I'M NOT DEAD! :D Still kicking. Sorry this took so long- writer's block is a jerk. I'm here and a year older! (My birthday was on the 28th)**

 **I was blown away at how much y'all liked the previous chapter! Thanks so much for your support!**

 **Quick question: would anyone be interested in a Discord server? If I made one, I'd probably post art and ideas and y'all could yell at me to hurry up, Haha. As well as share your own stories and art! But I'd only do it if I saw interest. I haven't seen many fanfiction writers' discords.**

 **Thanks for the love, y'all!**

 **-EBC**


	10. Chapter 10

_I'm really off my game today! Rats!_

Ness was struck back by a swift blow from Mario, tumbling back. Normally, he could have dodged - he saw it coming, but he had been too slow. The psychic hadn't felt well for the last few days. His throat was sore, he was tired, and he couldn't stop coughing. Standing up and coughing again, Ness summoned a PK Fire, glowing weakly in his hands as he tossed it towards the plumber. Mario jumped and dodged easily. Behind him, Link and Pikachu were locked in an intense fight of their own, which was good for Ness - he really doubted he could hold more than Mario off.

"Ness, are-a you alright?" Mario asked quietly, concern in his eyes. The Smashers often bantered back and forth while fighting, which was very amusing for the fans watching them on TV. Mario clearly didn't want to embarrass the psychic by letting the crowd know Ness wasn't doing his best.

"I'm _fine._ " Ness growled, before breaking into a coughing fit. Mario shook his head.

"Master Hand was right." Mario murmured. "You're-a sick. You shouldn't be-a fighting, Ness."

"I am absolutely _fine!_ " Ness snarled, face flushing in annoyance. "I'm not sick." He punctuated his last word with a kick. Mario was struck off guard, but didn't get hit too hard. It clearly hadn't been very strong.

"I really-a think you should forfeit this-a match, Ness. You're clearly-a not feeling well. There's-a no shame in it, you-a know." Mario pressed further, still not striking him. Ness scowled, sparking PSI on his hands. Forfeit the match? Was Mario crazy? That would be too shameful. Ness _didn't_ back down from a fight. He had been through so much worse, after all, and had been just fine.

"You just want me to forfeit so you don't have to fight someone stronger than you!" He responded tartly, with a bit of pride in his voice. Inwardly, Ness cringed. That didn't sound like him at all. He wasn't the type to bash his opponents' skills - what was getting into him?

Mario frowned and shook his head. "Ness, don't-a be like that. That isn't-a you."

"I'm fine!" He stubbornly insisted. A sudden commotion made the two jump back. It seemed Pikachu had been defeated, and Link was charging towards them.

"If you're-a really fine, then you should-a have no problems fighting us both." Mario spoke, seeming regretful but resigned. "Since-a you won't _listen._ "

Ness grunted as he was lunged at by the Hylian swordsman, stumbling backwards. Mario took his opportunity to strike him from behind, winding the psychic. Gasping as he pulled himself up - why did the stage feel like it was spinning? - he struck out with a psychic blow, hoping to keep one at bay while he fought the other. There was no such luck for him - Link avoided his strike and slashed upward with a deft strike, blade gleaming in the light. Ness groaned, tumbling back again. This time he stayed put on the ground for a moment - it felt nice and solid compared to the colors dancing before his blurred vision.

He forced himself up, staggering. Still determined to prove himself fully fighting fit, he charged towards his opponent with a wild yell. Mario blocked him easily and with a remorseful sigh, struck up hard.

Ness went flying.

Tumbling over the stage boundaries, he reached in vain for the edge which his fingertips grazed but missed. His energy was drained - he couldn't even muster electricity for PK Thunder as he fell and was eliminated from the match.

He stood up at the bottom once he landed on the secured cushions Master Hand had set up for them. Vision reeling, Ness gave a dry laugh.

"Huh. Guess I am sick." He muttered, before promptly collapsing and passing out.

* * *

When Ness next came to, he was in his bed, curled up in a blanket. His head hurt and his eyes were still a bit blurry, but he noted that his hat and backpack had been removed and placed nearby. His socks and shoes also had been taken off. Sitting up, he groaned.

"You're up."

Ness blinked at the voice, turning to see Falcon nearby. The racer was sitting on a chair nearby with a newspaper in his lap. His signature helmet was nowhere to be seen. "Goodness, kid. You slept for almost a day straight."

"I did?" Ness mumbled. He was so tired, he would have thought it had only been an hour. "Doesn't feel like it. I feel like crap..." Slouching down, his head hit the pillow again.

"You have the flu. Pretty sure you're not supposed to feel ready to run with that." Falcon snorted. "Do you think you can eat anything?"

"...Maybe?" Ness mumbled. He wasn't sure what he would be able to stomach.

"Well, I'll see what there is." Falcon got out of his chair and left the room. Ness could hear him walking down the stairs. Sighing, the psychic shut his eyes again and was drifting off when the racer returned.

"Soup." Falcon announced, carrying in a bowl. Ness pulled himself to a sitting position as he brought it near and placed it on Ness's lap. "It's hot. Don't burn yourself."

Taking the spoon in his hand, Ness began to eat. The soup was pretty tasty, some kind of chicken noodle. "What time is it, anyway?" He asked in between sips.

"Past dinnertime." Falcon replied, picking up the newspaper. Flipping it open, he propped up his feet on the edge of Ness's bed from his chair.

"Mmm." Ness nodded. "How long you been in here?"

"Basically since you passed out, occasionally trading off with Link."

The psychic was so surprised he dropped his spoon, spilling soup on himself. "What?"

"Why's that so surprising?" Falcon raised an eyebrow. "There's a napkin to your right, by the way."

Grabbing it, Ness shook his head. "I don't know, I thought you didn't like me or whatever." He wiped at his shirt, scowling at the stain.

"I think you're fine." Falcon shrugged. "Annoying, sure, but it's not like I hate your guts. And you're a capable fighter."

Ness was quiet for a moment aside from the clink of his spoon against the porcelain bowl. "...Thanks." He finally answered. "You're not so bad yourself, although you're the annoying one." A small smile briefly raised his lips.

Falcon rolled his eyes. "Brat." However, there was a faint smile on his visage too.

"So you've had to be in here a while?" Ness asked quietly after a few moments. Falcon confirmed that with a nod.

"Master Hand sent me after you didn't turn up when you got knocked out of the match. Found you passed out - Master Hand thought the stage safety had malfunctioned and you were injured. He was about to call off the match, but noted Mario and Link weren't hurt. He also remembered you had been acting strange during lunch, barely eating. Strange for someone of your appetite." Falcon smirked. Ness scowled, though there was no real hostility in his gaze. "So, we called a doctor, he said you have the flu."

"Great." Ness muttered, shifting his blanket so it was closer to him. "Guess I'm going to be stuck in bed for a while."

"Unfortunately so." Falcon confirmed with a grimace. "You had a match tomorrow, but Master Hand already arranged for Donkey Kong to cover for you."

"Ugh..." Ness frowned, stirring his spoon in the broth of the soup. "I hate missing matches. I don't want to get behind in the tournament..."

"No one does." The racer replied. "But if you try to go out while you're still sick, you'll just be sabotaging yourself. If you aren't at your best, and it isn't a life or death situation, why fight?"

Ness smiled dryly. "Look at you, being the voice of reason for once."

Now it was Falcon's turn to scowl goodnaturedly. "I am a constant voice of reason, thank you very much." The psychic shook his head in response. "What would you know?" Falcon raised an eyebrow.

"I...I don't know. You're always off doing your own thing. Guess I don't see you actually hang out with the rest of us a whole lot." Nese mused. "Besides when you mess with me, anyway."

"That's just fun." Falcon said with a snort. "You're easy to get a reaction from. Doesn't mean I'm not reasonable."

"I am _not_ easy to get a reaction from!" Ness glowered, before realization dawned on him as Falcon started chuckling that he was, indeed, easy to get a reaction from. The older man had played him like a fiddle, and Ness both loathed him for it and admired him. "Okay." He sighed. "You got me there. But how come you're always on your own, anyway?"

"Used to it." Falcon shrugged. "I'm a bounty hunter, so I spend a lot of time on my own traveling. I'm not really a 'people person' in general."

"A bounty hunter?" Ness was intrigued. "Didn't know that. I thought you were just a racer."

"Nope." He shook his head. "Racing is my passion, but bounty hunting is a solid career as well. Dangerous, but, eh. Can't do much about that. Racing's dangerous too, but that doesn't stop me."

"So I take it you've been in your fair share of accidents in both jobs." Ness glanced at the dark scar that marred Falcon's visage, prominent even with Ness's slightly blurred vision. It wasn't often the man had his helmet off like this.

"Yeah. You could say that." Falcon's dark brown eyes clouded for just a moment before he got a grip on himself. He glanced at the psychic, who had put the now empty bowl down. "We all have our scars, whether they be physical or mental." Ness flinched, it hitting a little too close to home for him to handle. "But hey, they're not what define us." Standing up, he picked up the discarded bowl.

"You're right." Ness agreed as Falcon turned to leave.

"Always am." He replied, exiting the room.

"...You're really not so bad, Falcon." The psychic quietly whispered. "Maybe I _should_ make an effort to get to know you better. Or maybe that's the flu talking. Who knows." Lying back with a chuckle, Ness let his dizziness and tiredness reclaim him into a restful sleep.

* * *

 **What's this? EBC actually updating? No way! I swear, my dream for this fanfic is weekly updates, but school does not want that to happen. It's a jerk like that. Nonetheless, I think this chapter turned out well. Falcon and Ness have a fun dynamic to write. As my friend once said about a pair of characters - "pair-rivals-neighbor-guys" fits them.**

 **Holy crap, watching the direct Thursday...World of Light looks amazing, and Lifelight has been in my head for the past few days. I'm so pumped!**

 **So I made a Discord server for everyone to come and share their fanfics, chat, and yell at me to hurry up. I'm looking forward to seeing you all there! I'll probably post some fanart too, maybe even for this story. Just enter in this - fGm5NBB**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **-EBC**


	11. Chapter 11

"Turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans... I think we have everything!"

Ness looked up from where he was hunched over stirring. "Did you remember to grab bread when you went out?" He called to Fox, who was holding bags full of the previously mentioned items - aside from the turkey, which was currently filling the house with a heavenly aroma as it baked in the oven.

"Nope." The pilot cheerfully responded. Ness banged his spoon against the bowl in disapproval, glaring at him. "We already had it. Second cabinet, up top." He added, gesturing with his free hand as he sat down the groceries on the counter.

"Could have just _said_ that." Samus muttered from the ground, where she was pulling several dented pots from a cabinet next to the stove. Yoshi was standing adjacent, taking the pots and placing them on the countertop.

"Why didn't you check yourself?" Fox countered, unpacking several ingredients from the brown paper sacks.

"We've been a bit busy." Ness answered swiftly, grabbing the salt straight out of Fox's hand. He gave a quick shake over his mixture before resuming stirring. "But hey, at least this'll be a nice surprise for Mario and Luigi. They've had to cook for us every night this year, guess it's fitting we try it once." He paused for a moment before adding more salt, which Yoshi evidently disapproved of, using his tongue to snatch it away from the psychic with a noise of distaste.

"Good early Christmas gift." Samus agreed. "Also, take it easy with the salt, Ness! The recipe only calls for half a teaspoon, which you didn't measure out, did you?"

"Shush. It'll taste fine." He replied, waving away the criticism. "It's pumpkin pie, not rocket science."

"Yoshi." The dinosaur-like creature muttered.

Ness scowled at his remark. "Just because I mixed up the salt and sugar _one_ time-"

"Three, actually." Falcon called from the dining room, where he and Jigglypuff were setting the table. Ness sat the bowl down, went to the doorway and yelled a quick "Shut up!" before sliding back into the kitchen and grabbing a whisk to beat his mixture further.

" _Anyway,_ " The psychic continued, "This is going to be a great surprise. I only hope Donkey Kong and Kirby can keep them busy long enough in town. You know how Mario can be - he wants to take care of everyone, and he'll worry if he's not back in time to make dinner."

"Well, if worst comes to worst, we told Donkey Kong to attempt to bribe the bus driver to take a scenic route." Fox said, mashing potatoes with a fork. "Maybe it'll work."

"It won't." Samus replied as she checked on the turkey in the oven. "Fox, hurry up with the potatoes."

"I'm getting them done!" The canine huffed. "Now where did the salt go anyway?"

Ness snatched it back from Yoshi with his telekinesis, flinging it in the general direction of Fox. He scrambled to catch it, but it ended up smacking him straight in the face. "Ow!" He rubbed at his stinging nose with a pointed glare at Ness. "What was _that_ for?!"

Ness shrugged, pulling the pie tin with the crust in it closer. "Bad aim, what can I say?"

"How about 'sorry'?" Fox snorted, shaking his head as he salted the potatoes.

"M'kay then, sorry for my bad aim, Fox." Ness poured the orange liquid into the crust, smoothing it out with a spoon. "What I'm not sorry for is how delicious this pie is gonna be. I should be a pastry chef!"

"Sure. You keep telling yourself that." The pilot said in a teasing tone. "Hey, could you pass me a pot?" Thinking on it a moment more, nose still smarting, he shook his head. "Actually, never mind, I'll grab it myself..."

"Oh, relax, I'm not going to hit you again." Ness grabbed a pot and held it out to Fox. "Really, I wasn't aiming for your face, I'm sorry."

"Alright, alright, it's fine." Fox took the pot and started scraping his potatoes into it. Ness scooped up the pie pan and opened the oven, sliding the pie onto the top rack. Stepping back and closing the oven's pitch black door, he leaned against the counter, a small, satisfied smile on his face. It felt good to be doing this. Dusting off his flour coated hands on his frayed jeans, he silently surveyed what the others were doing.

Fox had set his potatoes on the front burner of the stove, and was stirring them occasionally, now in a lively conversation with Samus as he did so. Yoshi was opening the green beans with a small, handheld can opener. Finally, Samus was busy on the other side of the stove, putting a tiny pot of gravy to the back burner.

Movement from the doorframe caught his attention, and he looked over to see what it was. Jigglypuff had entered, a cheerful spring in her step. She gave a warble in greeting. "Everything is ready in the dining room." She squeaked to him.

"What's she saying?" Samus asked Ness, looking over her shoulder as she busily worked.

"Dining room is ready for dinner!" He answered, giving a thumbs up as he spoke.

"Good!" Samus nodded. "By the time all the food on the stovetop is done, the turkey should be ready. Pie'll probably take a bit longer since we just put it in. How long do we have before the Mario brothers get back?"

"About 15 minutes, if Donkey Kong has stalled well." Falcon said as he entered the room behind Jigglypuff. "You guys have everything almost ready, right?"

"Yeah, we do." Ness confirmed. "With any luck, this'll be good!"

* * *

The sound of Mario"s voice floated through the hallway just as the rest of the Smashers were getting dinner on the table. Link had come in a few minutes prior and was lifting the turkey platter, expertly carved. (He had taken over from Fox's sad attempt at carving and proved to be very skillful at it.) Yoshi was carefully placing the mashed potatoes near the table's left side, mirroring the green beans on the right side.

Ness emerged from the kitchen with a basket of bread. Everyone was starting to take their seats at the table as he placed it near the turkey in the center. Taking his own seat, he grinned as Mario's voice grew nearer.

The pair of plumbers entered the room, and Mario's jaw dropped at what was waiting on the table for him. His brother's eyes grew wide, surveying the feast before them.

"Wha...what's-a this?" Mario finally managed, pacing around the table and admiring the food - the beautifully cooked turkey, the fluffy white potatoes, the golden-brown bread. "You...you...who-a made this?"

"Merry Christmas, Mario," Fox said with a warm grin. "And Merry Christmas to Luigi, too. It was Yoshi's idea."

Ness had a bright grin on his face as well, turning to the plumbers happily. "He came to me and told me his idea two days ago, and the rest of us were eager to get on board. You always cook for us, so we thought we would return the favor this time. We just hope it's good enough."

"Good enough?" Mario's joy was nearly palpable to the rest of the room, visage practically glowing from ecstasy. "It's-a the most amazing thing-a you could have done!"

A cheer resounded from the rest of the room, especially the exhausted cooks. "Excellent!" Jigglypuff squealed, bouncing in her seat. Although the humans couldn't understand her, her enthusiasm was clearly conveyed nonetheless.

"Well-a, what are we-a waiting for? Let's eat!" Mario proclaimed, sitting in his favorite chair. An even bigger cheer followed that declaration.

Everyone was happily laughing and eating, a merry atmosphere in the air. Ness found the cheerful mood incredibly infectious, and was loudly talking about memories from the past year with the rest of them. He was so caught up in the festivities, he forgot about one little thing...

"Do you guys-a smell something-a burning?" Luigi raised his head, sniffing the air. The actual dinner had been over for a while, but the Smashers had been too deep in conversation to leave the table.

Ness paled as the sent of smoke hit his nostrils. "Oh, crap! The pie!" Tearing like a flash, he raced to the kitchen and grabbed a pot holder, opening the oven. Thick smoke rolled out, and he tried to beat it away with a cough as he pulled the overdone pie out.

"What were you saying earlier? You should be a pastry chef?" Fox teasingly called from the dining room.

"Shush!" He loudly yelled back between coughs.

Even though the pie was a little burnt, it still tasted good, once you got past that crispy, charcoal-like layer on top.

* * *

 **Merry Christmas! Presenting my gift to you, my wonderful readers- a new chapter that totally wasn't inspired in any way, shape or form by my own attempts in the kitchen two days ago!**

 **(Long story short? I lit a bowl of chocolate on fire and then broke a different bowl in half with a knife. Then I nearly set the fudge on fire. I know, I know - I'm _quite_ talented in the kitchen.)**

 **Anyway, hope y'all have a good holiday!**

 **Discord server:** fGm5NBB

 **-EBC**


	12. Chapter 12

Snow fell in a downward spiral, blanketing the world in a gleaming coat of white as Ness reclined back on the couch, studying the outside quietly. A soft fleece blanket was pulled around him, making him quite comfortable. It seemed as though he had no reason to be discontented, but a small sigh escaped him nonetheless as he stared out the window, looking at the picturesque scenery but not truly seeing it.

Link, of all people, noticed Ness's strange mood first. Lightly tapping him on the shoulder from his position beside him on the couch, he tilted his head and made a small, questioning noise.

"Oh, uh, I'm fine. Just thinking about some stuff." Ness replied, reading the questioning emotions coming from the Hylian.

"What kind of stuff?" Samus asked, looking up from her book. She was situated in the right recliner.

"I don't know... I guess I'm feeling kind of homesick." The psychic admitted after a moment of silence. "I miss my mom and my sister. It's been a long time since I've seen either of them, and I know I can call them or write them, but it's just not the same as being able to see them face to face." He fidgeted with his blanket for a moment, looking downcast. "And I miss my dad too, but I'm pretty used to that feeling. I haven't actually seen my dad in what, two years? He promised to come home for my 14th birthday. But," Ness gave a moody shrug, "He wasn't able to make it. It's ok. I'm used to him not keeping his promises." After a moment he shook his head. "Sorry. That sounded super bitter."

Pikachu, who had been curled up in the left recliner, raised his head and sprang down to the floor. He walked over to Ness and jumped up in his lap, touching his cheek with his nose. The electric mouse was careful to not shock him. Running his hand lightly through Pikachu's fur, he smiled faintly. "Thanks." He spoke softly. "Do you have a family, Pikachu?"

"Pika! Kapi-ka!" He squeaked back, affirming Ness's question. Amid the rodent's thoughts, he caught a glimpse of a memory. A lush, green forest, carrying the smell of clean air and the sound of animalistic cries he had never heard before. He saw Pikachu in the memory, playing with what looked to be a baby Pikachu, and instinctively, Ness knew they were brothers. The memory faded from his mind's eye as Pikachu made a tiny noise of happiness.

"Well, does he?" Samus asked.

"Yeah." He replied with a nod. "A little brother." It was clear Ness's instinct about the two's relationship was accurate as Pikachu made a noise that almost sounded like purring. Leaning back, he glanced at Link. "What about you? Got any folks back home?"

Link shook his head no. "They died when I was young. There was a war. My mother fled with me into the woods, but her injuries were too bad and she died." His voice was quiet, as it always was when Link chose to talk, but it seemed even softer now. Ness could sense his emotions - Link had clearly accepted this event long ago, and didn't have much trouble talking about it, probably since it happened when he was a small child. That didn't mean that he was unemotional to it, however - there was sadness lurking behind those words.

Samus lowered her head in sympathy. "I know the feeling." She admitted quietly after a moment. "I was three years old when my parents died. Space pirates invaded and my mother died creating a diversion so I could get away." The emotions Ness caught here were intense - much stronger than any others from Samus he had ever picked up on. Grief was one, heavy as a stone. The other was a hatred so strong and so bitter it almost made Ness gag. He feared what he would see if he tried to follow those emotions and see their source in memory - something that was hard for him to do with humanoids anyway. Regardless, Ness could mentally see one image in his head - a strange, monstrous beast, with gleaming eyes that showed a sickening bloodthirst. Forcing mental shields up to block out emotion and memory, the psychic took a minute to compose himself.

"I'm so, _so_ sorry." He managed after a moment. "I feel so stupid now, complaining about my father. At least he's alive..."

"Don't feel stupid." Samus said, turning her head to look Ness in the eyes. "You're allowed to feel upset with him. He may be alive, but he still should be there for you."

"...I guess you're right, but I still feel bad." Ness mumbled, staring at the snow again.

Link seemed thoughtful for a moment, debating whether to speak or not. Finally deciding to give voice to his thoughts, he looked at Ness as well. "...don't have family back home...but I do here." Taking Ness's raised eyebrows as a cue to keep talking, he carried on. "We're like a family. A big, chaotic family."

"You're all my brothers." Samus confirmed with a small smile at Link's words. She seemed to like his take on their living situation. "I don't think it's possible to live this long in close proximity to all of you without declaring you my brothers at some point, so guess I'm doing that now." She chuckled softly.

"Wonderful. I've gained an additional 11 siblings. I mean, there were times I wished I wasn't the oldest child in my family...guess I got my wish!" Ness laughed warmly at the thought.

"Gained? You've had us for a while now." Samus remarked. "I mean, we're the Super Smash Brothers, aren't we?"

"True." Ness replied, Pikachu squeaking his confirmation too. "A family of 12 people who literally beat each other up on the daily. I mean, I know there's a thing called sibling rivalry...but this takes it to the next level!" He grinned widely, barely restraining a laugh.

"Hold on - you're forgetting someone in our family." Samus spoke, holding up her right hand.

"Master Hand! Of course!" The psychic brightly agreed. "If we're the Smash Brothers, is he the father?"

Link nodded, a grin on his lips. Samus raised an eyebrow, barely hiding her own smile. "Come on, Ness, think logically - can you really have a tournament with a bunch of intetgalactically renowned fighters and _not_ become their father?" Ness burst out laughing at that.

"I'd say it's pretty easy to avoid doing that, actually. Or do you frequently have that problem yourself?"

"Oh, all the time. Don't you know? I _often_ hold tournaments, and I just can't stop myself from going full on paternal." The sarcasm was mirthful as Samus spoke, evidently having fun with their subject.

Pikachu squeaked out a question which stopped Ness's laughter. "Pikachu just asked who our mom is if Master Hand is our father." He mused. Suddenly the psychic's violet eyes went wide as a thought struck him. "Oh my gosh - is there a _Mistress_ Hand in the picture?"

Link and Samus both lost it, laughing at the mere mental image such a name invoked. "Can you _imagine_?" Ness continued, thoroughly entertained. "Just picture their dates! Would hand-holding be like a hug to them or something?" Pikachu cried out with amusement, nearly falling off Ness's lap. "What if they got engaged? Imagine the size of that ring!"

"Stop, you're killing my sides!" Samus tried to catch her breath. It wasn't often Ness saw her so amused - especially to the point of laughing so hard. After the gloomy topic of earlier, he felt a bit of pride that he could turn the mood around.

"I don't feel so homesick now." He said after the laughter died down. "I mean, how could I? This place is my home just as much as Onett is - and you're my family. Doesn't matter it's not by blood."

"You should still call your mom." Samus advised. "I'm sure she misses you."

"I will." He smiled. Pikachu crawled into Link's lap as Ness got up, shoving aside his blanket and stretching. "Thanks, guys."

"No problem. What's family for, but to help each other?" Samus spoke as she picked up her book again.

"True." As he headed out of the living room to where the phone in the hallway was located, he felt peaceful, all discontent gone.

 _Maybe I just needed a mind shift, after all._

* * *

 **I had this idea at around midnight and it wouldn't go away, so as soon as I had time I wrote it. I think it turned out really cute!**

 **I've never played Metroid and the last time I played Ocarina of Time was eight years ago. I hope it's not too obvious - I spent an hour reading up on both to try to be accurate. Metroid seems fascinating- maybe I should play the series... I used to watch my older brother play, and it seemed cool.**

 **I can't believe the amount of support this fanfic has gained in the past year. Why do you guys like my writing so much? Regardless, I am so glad I get to share my interpretation of these characters with you. Your ongoing support means the world to me, and for all those who continue to support me, I thank you.**

 **I admit - I LOVE doing more serious chapters. I hope I get the opportunity to do more of them.**

 **Thank you so much for reading!**

 **Discord server: fGm5NBB**

 **-EBC**


	13. Chapter 13

" _The tournament is cancelled_."

Ness couldn't believe his ears as Master Hand spoke in a quiet tone, sounding forlorn and lost. The twelve stared in stunned disbelief at the giant glove, different expressions on their faces - shock, horror, depression. He slowly shook his head. "No. It's not cancelled! We haven't even reached the elimination period yet - they named the town after the tournament, for goodness sakes! How is it gonna be Smashville if we're not around?!" Ness was distantly aware his ramblings were bordering on incoherent, but he didn't care.

The tournament had been his life for the past year. (Well, in theory. Time flowed differently here - although his birthday had long since come and gone, he was still fourteen. This place ran on a time of its own) To have it suddenly stripped from him...it was too cruel, too soon! No one had even won. This was outrageous!

" _It's cancelled_." Master Hand repeated tiredly.

"B-but...why?" Luigi frowned, clearly upset.

" _Bankruptcy_." The glove murmured. There were several collective gasps from the Smashers. _Bankruptcy?_ How had it happened?

"That's ridiculous!" Falcon slammed his fist on the table, rattling the dishes from their now-abandoned lunch. "We're more popular than ever! People from all over come to see our matches - they're wild for us!"

" _Fans doesn't necessarily equate income_." Master Hand spoke dully.

"Then-a we should feed off-a the popularity!" Mario declared, standing up. "We could-a do autographs for a fee, or-a..." He placed his hand on his chin, thinking a moment, before snapping his fingers with a hearty nod. "We could do-a T-Shirts! Fans-a love those."

"True!" Ness nodded enthusiastically. "Bootleggers are always trying to hawk those in the town square. Some guy tried to sell _me_ a shirt when I was last in town - thought he was gonna have a heart attack when I pulled off my hood and showed who I was!" He grinned fondly at the memory, but his smile quickly dimmed as he released things like that - little moments that made this tournament so _memorable_ \- were potentially over.

" _It's too late_." Master Hand swept the statement away with a flick of his fingers. " _We just can't raise the amount of money needed in this short of time. In fact..._ " The glove paused, obviously reluctant to speak. " _...We're being evicted from the house tonight._ " He finally cringed out.

 ** _"WHAT?!"_** A collective yell arose from them all, eyes widening in horror.

"No!" Samus yelled, nearly breaking her water glass from how tightly she was squeezing it. "There must be something we can do!"

"We have money!" Ness jerked his head up. "Surely there's an exchange rate between the currency here and Eaglelandian dollars. I'll give every cent I have if it means saving this place!"

There were a few cries of agreement around the table. Link raised a hand. "I have rupees."

"And we have-a coins!" Mario pointed to himself and Luigi. Ness felt his hopes start to raise. Maybe they _could_ save their home, and the tournament!

This hope was extinguished as fire in the rain with Master Hand's next words. " _Your generosity speaks volumes to me, but it would never be enough to repay the debt that has occurred._ "

"How? How did we get in debt?" Falcon slowly shook his head, looking as though he longed to deny it all.

" _My brother._ " The glove spoke solemnly. " _I'm afraid he has...a gambling addiction. By the time I found out he stole our money, it...it was far too late. I'm afraid he's been posing as me for quite some time to hide his shameful exploits. I have no proof against him. I'm...going to jail, I'm afraid._ "

"JAIL?!" Ness fell out of his chair he flung himself so far back. "NO! You're innocent, they can't convict you...what kind of piece of _crap_ legal system does this world have?!" His anger was itching in his hands, begging to be released through a psychic outburst. He bit his lip, willing himself to calm down, before he exploded something with his mind. That tended to happen when he was upset.

" _Calm yourself, Ness._ " Master Hand's voice took on a slightly gentler tone as he noticed him barely keeping his energy in check. " _I know you are upset, but there is nothing we can do. I have arranged for you all to be taken to your homes at six tonight. I thank you all for your support and bravery, fighting in this tournament. It has been a joy, truly, to host you. I recommend you go pack now. I will take care of the dishes._ "

Stunned silence filled the room, before Kirby let out a mournful cry. Ness was unsure if the puffball even knew what was going on, but even if he didn't, he could tell something was wrong by the devastated look on everyone's face.

 _Me too, Kirby._ Ness thought emotionally. _Me_ too.

* * *

Packing his belongings was a quiet affair. It felt strange to see his room so _bare_ \- he was used to it having a well-worn, comfortable look. Many Smashers had customized their rooms, and Ness was no exception. His half of the room had several posters on the walls - one of the Runaway Five, autographed by all its members, another of his favorite baseball team, the Fourside Fanatics, and several pictures of his friends and family. But now there was nothing - just empty wall.

It looked wrong.

It felt wrong.

Glancing over, Ness saw Pikachu pacing his side of the room. The mouse didn't have many possessions - no clothes, of course, and the only thing he had decorated his half of the room with were a few assorted leaves and branches he had gathered from outside. He was tugging them off the bed periodically, then jumping back down and pacing again. Ness was fairly certain you didn't need to be a psychic to feel the gloom coming off Pikachu in waves.

"It's not right." Ness spoke after a moment, scuffing the edge of his bed with his shoe. "I love Onett, and it will be nice to see my family again, but...losing this family is gonna hurt a lot." He admitted. Lightly brushing the wall with his fingertips, he was surprised to find himself slightly emotional, blinking back water that was fast gathering in the corners of his eyes. "I love you guys, you know? Even the people I thought I didn't like much, like Falcon and Fox and...well, even you. Can you _believe_ we fought over such a stupid thing when we first got here? All because I accidentally stepped on you!" He gave a weak laugh as Pikachu squeaked in agreement, coming over to stand beside Ness.

" _And now it's over._ " Pikachu forlornly hung his head, a few sad noises punctuating his sentence.

"Yeah." Ness managed to speak around the growing lump in his throat. "And we never even got to see who would win the tournament." He sighed, sealing his suitcase shut with a telekinetic nudge. "At least we'll always have the memories, right? I won't forget you, Pikachu, or Samus, or Mario, or anyone, really."

"I know I won't forget you." Ness jumped in surprise at the new voice. He had been so lost in reminiscing that he hadn't sensed Samus standing in the doorframe.

"Come on." She beckoned the two of them with a wave of her hand. "We're going through a walk around of the house before we leave." The psychic and rodent turned to follow her as she led the way to where the others were waiting. Like a parade of sorts, they gathered behind Mario and followed his lead as they set off on their final tour.

"It-a feels strange." Luigi said softly. "We've-a passed everything around-a us hundreds of times, and-a yet... we're-a just now really looking-a at it all."

" _It really does feel like a closing_." Jigglypuff let out a small whimper at the end of her statement, which Ness translated for the group.

They arrived in the living room after descending down the stairs. "We never did tell Master Hand about the couch, did we?" Fox spoke, scratching his head.

" _Nope_." Yoshi shook his head.

"Oh, he knows." Samus shrugged. "He asked me about it once. He knew from the moment he saw it it wasn't the right couch, but he found us tiptoeing around the subject amusing."

" _What_ even is that glove's sense of humor?" Fox seemed bemused, blinking as he sighed. "I'll never understand it, _that's_ for sure..."

"He tries to act all tough, but he's not. Not around us, anyway." Ness closed his eyes, seeing a clear, frigid night in his mind. Strange to think that was a while ago...

"He's tough around others." Link piped up with a grunt. "That one time..." There were a few nods of agreement from some of the Smashers.

Ness couldn't recall exactly what they were referring to. Raising a tentative hand as though he was in school, he asked, "Uh, I'm lost. What incident are you referring to?" He was relieved to see a few others as confused as he was, looking towards Link expectantly.

"Kirby and I were out." The swordsman began. "Some fans mobbed us. Wouldn't leave. They were even upsetting Kirby." Ness glanced at the puffball, who gazed back at him with a curious expression. It was hard to picture paparazzi harassing Kirby enough to make _him_ upset.

"We ran for the bus. Tried to get away. They followed us on. Wouldn't stop shouting and trying to get our attention. We got off at the House and they did too. Followed us right up to the porch." Link scowled. "We wanted them to go away. They wouldn't listen.

"Master Hand came out after a minute and told us to go inside. We did, but I watched from the window. The people tried to bother him, but he said something. Couldn't hear what."

"Whatever it-a was, it _scared_ them. They took-a off _running_ , not even waiting for the-a bus. And-a one of them-a _screamed_." Mario added. "I was-a at the window too."

"He's pretty great." Falcon said quietly. There was a general murmur of agreement from the rest.

The rest of their tour was mostly solemn, occasionally pointing out memories from each room.

 _I can't believe it's over._ Ness thought. _I just can't believe it._

* * *

Standing out on the lawn with their suitcases packed, the twelve stared quietly at the place that was their home. A light rain was following, and Ness shivered from the cold water.

"I guess we're not ever gonna see each other again." Ness whispered. He swallowed a lump in his throat at the thought.

"Don't-a say that." Mario managed a small smile. "Let's-a think of it as a 'goodbye-a 'til we meet again.' It's-a better that way. You-a never know where-a your journeys will-a take you."

Slowly, a black car rolled up, one of the same mysterious cars that brought them here in the first place. The window slowly rolled down. "Mario brothers." The driver called, so cloaked in shadow it was impossible to see their face.

"Goodbye-a, everyone! Until we meet again!" Mario declared with a grin, whereas Luigi only gave a small wave and a smile. This continued along, with black cars pulling up and taking them away depending on their respective worlds and where they lived therein.

When his own car rolled up, Ness turned to Samus, who was still waiting. He tried to speak - tell her something, anything - but his throat was just too dry. Instead he quickly wrapped his arms around her in a hug, much to her surprise. She stiffened, but relaxed a second later and briefly returned it.

Pulling away, Ness opened the car door. "See ya, hope life's good to you." He called to Samus, Jigglypuff, Pikachu and Fox, the four still waiting. He shut the door quickly after getting inside so no one would see how overwhelmed with emotion he was getting.

Placing his suitcase on the seat adjacent, he closed his eyes. He might as well sleep on the way to Onett.

It sure was strange Master Hand hadn't come to see them off, though.

* * *

Ness awoke a while later and blinked at the dazzling light coming through the window nearby him. Sitting up, he glanced out and gasped at what he saw.

A beach with beautiful white sand complimented the deep shade of the sea, lapping up on shore lethargically. Palm trees swayed gracefully in the wind and a striking sunset illuminated the world in shades of pastel pink and purple.

This definitely wasn't Onett.

"What's going on?" Ness demanded, sitting upright. The driver did not answer, but rolled up to a nice looking building. Around him were the black cars of the others, looking equally as confused as they stepped out.

Ness pulled open the door and at once got out, looking around. Floating majestically down from the stairs of the building was Master Hand. He could practically feel the smug satisfaction rolling off the glove in waves.

"What's going on? You said we were being evicted!" Falcon exclaimed, looking up at Master Hand.

" _Did **none** of you check the date_?" Master Hand chuckled quietly. " _I know we went over what today was last year_."

"April Fool's Day!" Ness smacked his head with his hand. "This was all an April Fool's Day prank?!"

"It wasn't funny!" Samus declared with a glower.

" _Well, Smashers, you are not being evicted, the tournament is going on strong, and I am not going to jail. Did you honestly believe any jail could hold **me?** I should be insulted at you undermining my power like that_." He laughed once again, shaking his pointer finger as though scolding, though his tone was lighthearted. " _No, Smashers, instead, you have the week off to spend a spring break of sorts here. Additionally, I had you pack all your belongings because a crew is coming in to repaint and recarpet the rooms. I know the decor has been a bit...dated._ "

"This...this is-a great!" Mario brightened. Donkey Kong let out an enthusiastic _whoop_ beside him. "Let's-a go and see the hotel rooms!" Enthusiastically, he bounded towards the doors, several following. Ness instead approached Master Hand.

"I've never been so glad for your weird sense of humor." Ness sighed. "It does seem kind of ridiculous thinking about it now. Let me guess, you don't even have a brother."

" _Oh, I do. He's not a gambler, but I don't think you would want to meet him._ " Master Hand stated.

"Why?"

" _He's a bit... **crazy.**_ "

* * *

 **Happy April Fool's Day, y'all. Life played a prank on me and now I'm sick. Again.**

 **I love my interpretation of Master Hand too much. Also, Link being a chatterbox for once.**

 **Thanks for reading and supporting, y'all. Your reviews mean a lot and I appreciate your criticism! I know I'm not terribly in character and there are several characters I have yet to touch on. Thanks for being patient. I'll try to do better.**

 **I love y'all!**

 **Discord:** fGm5NBB

 **-EBC**


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